Fortunately, Skyrimplayers have learned plenty of ways to level various skills fast. No matter which skills the Dragonborn chooses to build, every increase results in progress toward the next level. If players are looking to level up quickly to gain those stat increases and perk points, these strategies should help. Though all leveling tricks involve some grinding, most can be incorporated into regular gameplay, keeping things from getting too tedious.
Updated on November 27, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is a game that needs no introduction, with the game easily cementing its reputation as one of the best western role-playing games of all time. The story of these titles may be as generic as can be, but don’t let that take away from the wondrous sense of exploration that is experienced in each and every inch of Skyrim’s vast landscape.
Leveling up is a huge part of Skyrim, letting players tackle more areas with confidence, Here are some of the best ways to level up easily in Skyrim to make the Dragonborn one of the most powerful entities in this world.
10 Craft Weapons And Armor Over And Over Again
One of the most well-known tricks to level up is exploring the smithing in Skyrim. Generally speaking, blacksmithing can be used by the player to craft leveled equipment that helps them tackle tougher dungeons with ease… but people who want to cheese the leveling system can use smithing for nefarious purposes instead.
Basically, players can craft the weakest and cheapest item — like an Iron Sword — over and over again to upgrade this skill and level up their character multiple times in one go. It’s a pretty well-known exploit that become legendary among fans of Skyrim.
9 Rest In An Owned Bed, Preferably With A Loved One
Players can rest up in several beds across Skyrim, but the abundance of healing items means that most people don’t really find a use for this mechanic. However, these players will be singing a different tune once they realize that resting for a while gives a temporary bonus to XP gain.
Ideally, players should try and sleep in their own house or in a room they paid for. The best way to maximize XP gain using this method is to marry one of the many prospects in Skyrimbefore sleeping with them in a shared bed to gain the “Lover’s Comfort” buff, increasing their XP gain by 15% for eight in-game hours.
8 Sneak Around In Every Encounter
Sneaking is one of the most fun things to do in Skyrim, which is perhaps why so many people love the Stealth Archer build in this game. However, sneaking serves another purpose that is great for players who want all their actions to contribute to their level.
Fittingly enough, using stealth in the game increases the Sneak stat, and this can happen quite a bit if players decide to sneak their way around every encounter. It’s a simple and fun way to level up in the game while also making sneaking easier and a lot more fun in the game.
7 The Equilibrium + Healing Trick
Restoration and Alteration are two schools of magic with a variety of applications, and this trick helps players level them both. Equilibrium is an Alteration spell that drains HP to restore Magicka, while healing spells cost Magicka to restore HP. By equipping these two spells in each hand, players can alternate them for as long as they like.
Spam Equilibrium until health gets low, and then spam Healing to bring it back up. Repeat this process, and watch both Alteration and Restoration rise. Just be careful that the player doesn’t accidentally kill themselves with Equilibrium, as this is easily possible.
6 Break Lockpicks
Sometimes, practicing is more important than succeeding, and that’s certainly the case for Lockpicking in Skyrim. Every time the player breaks a lockpick, the skill increases a small amount. This means that the Dragonborn can repeatedly try to break into houses and locked chests and simply fail over and over until they level up.
Admittedly, this is one of the more tedious leveling tricks out there; however, it’s often worth it for Skyrim’s thieves and plunderers. To use this trick and avoid getting caught by angry NPCs, the Thieves Guild in Riften has a room full of locked chests specifically to practice this skill. Gather a massive stack of lockpicks, and break them all trying to get those locks open.
5 Spam Muffle & Clairvoyance
There are lots of low-level Illusion spells out there, but ones like Fury, Fear, or even Calm will cause town guards to turn hostile to the Dragonborn. To level Illusion quickly, the best options are spells that affect oneself, as others will have no reaction to these.
With this in mind, holding the Clairvoyance spell is one way to level Illusion — albeit rather slowly. Repeatedly castingMuffle also works well, and can quickly get players to level 40 or higher in a short amount of time. Since the latter can have a hefty Magicka cost at lower levels, equip enchanted gear to help it regenerate faster and speed the process along.
4 Summon & Banish Creatures
Conjuration can be an incredibly valuable school of magic, but at low levels, it’s not good for all that much. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to level it: call up a familiar or an atronach, then immediately send it whence it came. Repeat until the skill reaches the desired level. As with other magical leveling tricks, wearing gear with the Regenerate Magicka effect helps speed things up, as players have less time to wait for it to recharge.
Conjure Familiar consumes the least Magicka out of all the summoning spells, but Conjure Flame Atronach can be a good option as well. Summon the creature, and then cast Banish Daedra (or Expel Daedra for higher-level summons). Each of these spells raises Conjuration. What’s more, neither will make nearby NPCs hostile, so the Dragonborn can do this anywhere.
3 Use The Most Valuable Enchantments
Enchanting is often an easy way to both increase levels and earn some quick coin. Players often find themselves picking up weapons and gear that they have no use for, and enchanting it before selling exponentially raises its value.
Most importantly, the more valuable the enchantment applied, the more the Enchanting skill will increase. By far the best enchantment to use for weapons is Banish Daedra, though Paralyze is also a good choice. Meanwhile, Fortify Destruction and Fortify Sneak are the most valuable armor enchantments. So stock up on Soul Gems, and find an Arcane Enchanter.
2 Know The Highest-Value Potion Recipes
As with Enchanting, crafting higher-value items at the alchemy lab will level the skill much faster than cheap ones. Fortify Carry Weight is one highly valuable effect, along with Invisibility, Slow, and Regenerate Health/Stamina/Magicka. Additionally, potions made with Giant’s Toe have much longer-lasting and potent effects, making them more valuable and thus providing a greater skill increase when crafted.
Some top recipes for alchemy leveling include:
Giant’s Toe, Creep Cluster, Wheat Giant’s Toe, River Betty, Large Antlers River Betty, Deathbell, Creep Cluster Luna Moth Wing, Vampire Dust, Hawk Feathers
Not all of these will be strictly useful, as some mix beneficial effects with poisonous ones. However, they can all be sold for profit.
1 Take Hits & Keep Healing
This method is similar to the first entry on this list, in which the player repeatedly brings themselves near the brink of death and pulls back with Restoration. Instead of Alteration, though, this technique can be used to raise either Light or Heavy Armor. When the Dragonborn finds themselves in the midst of a fight, simply stand there with a healing spell in hand and continually cast it while the bandits or bears attack in vain.
Every skill in Skyrim increases with use, and for both armor skills, “use” simply means soaking damage. The more the Dragonborn gets pummeled, the more the skill will increase. Meanwhile, Healing ensures the player doesn’t die in the process, and raises Restoration while they’re at it. This trick works well with low-level bandits or draugr, who are less likely to kill the player in one or two hits.
More: Skyrim: Best Items For A Thief (& How To Get Them)
