The skill of Alteration is essential for any mage playthrough inSkyrim, as its protective spells will shield you from otherwise lethal hits and defend you against magical attacks. Since mages typically have low health, the added protection usually comes from Alteration spells like Oakflesh.
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That being said, there are a variety of perks available in the Alteration skill tree that will bolster and enhance the protective spells. These perks range from basic magicka cost reduction to spell absorption and all things in between.
10Stability
Some fights are bound to last longer than the 60 seconds allotted by protection spells which can be very bad in the middle of combat. Thankfully, the Stability perk increases the duration of all Alteration perks by 50 percent.
This works great for long engagements and helps conserve magicka in the long run since you’ll have to recast the spell fewer times. This perk can stack with Alteration Dual Casting, allowing spells to last a total of 3.3x longer.
9Apprentice Alteration
Apprentice Alteration cuts the cost of apprentice-level alteration spells in half, making spells like Stoneflesh much more affordable in the early game. Crucial protection spells cost a lot of magicka early on, so it’s great to have something that squeezes this necessary spell into your resource budget.
Unfortunately, the apprentice level of spells only consists of Magelight and Stoneflesh, making its usage limited.
8Novice Alteration
Acting as the origin point for all future perks, Novice Alteration is available from the beginning of the game and is the gateway to all other Alteration perks. Cutting the casting cost of an essential early-game spell like Oakflesh and making it fit a smaller magicka pool is crucial for a pure mage playthrough.
For spellswords, it becomes less important because their play style typically includes light or heavy armor, so they’re less reliant on protection spells.
7Adept Alteration
Adept Alteration marks the halfway point on your journey to becoming a master of this protective skill. It also marks the point where spells start to cost a lot of magic to cast even with a large magicka pool.
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This is a great investment and leads into the Expert Alteration and Stability perks, both of which are very reliable for a high-level mage. It requires level 50 Alteration to become available for purchase. The perk cuts costs for spells like Ironflesh and Telekinesis.
6Expert Alteration
Being an expert in the Alteration skill is no easy feat compared to expertise in Destruction or Conjuration. Expert Alteration spells provide some of the best magical protection available but are also some of the most expensive.
Ebonyflesh, Paralyze, and Ash Rune are all amazing spells that have huge magicka costs with some powerful effects. That’s why Expert Alteration is a must-have if you’re playing on a high difficulty and need the extra boon since it cuts their costs in half.
5Master Alteration
From novice to expert you cast countless protection spells that no doubt helped you survive combat. Now you’re a master of the skill and will undoubtedly need a perk to make spells of this caliber easier to cast.
Master Alteration, like the previous perks, cuts the cost of master-level spells in half. The master-level spells include things like Dragonhide which allows you to ignore 80 percent of incoming physical damage for 30 seconds. Even with the perk it’s an expensive one, makingmagicka cost reduction jewleryinvestments far more worth it.
4Alteration Dual Casting
The Alteration Dual Casting perk allows for spells to be overcharged to last twice as long for twice the magicka cost. This saves on magicka in the long run, especially during harder fights against bosses.
You’ll only need to cast protection spells once, and they’ll likely last the duration of most fights thanks to the perk. Unfortunately, Dual Casting doesn’t make the perk stronger when performed, like it does with Destruction or Restoration Dual Casting.
3Magic Resistance
Magic Resistance gives you a passive buff that blocks a percentage of the damage done by a spell based on what level the perk is. There are three ranks of the perk available that block ten, 20, and 30 percent of a spell, respectively.
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Rank one requires level 30 Alteration, so it’s fairly easy to obtain early on with the proper skill point allocation. Pairing this perk with spells like Ironflesh can turn your mage into an absolute tank in a fight.
2Mage Armor
This perk makes the effectiveness of protection spells increase dramatically. Mage Armor multiplies the armor rating provided by spells like Stoneflesh. Each of the three ranks multiplies the rating by two, two and a half, and three respectively.
That makes even a beginner spell like Oakflesh able to add 120 points, which is more than what Dragonscale Armor would provide naturally. This perk is the ultimate way to turn your character into a beast without needing to go look forhigh-end mage gear.
1Atronach
Mages are a nuisance when you’re not the one casting the spells. To counter them, invest in the Atronach perk to absorb a percentage of the spells cast at you as magicka. At rank one, you’ll be able to absorb ten percent of a spell, and at three ranks, you get 30 percent spell absorption.
It gets even better when you realizedragon shouts count as spellsto the perk. That being said, this perk naturally requires 100 Alteration because of its power and giving you a rapidly replenishing magicka pool.
