I was looking on here for how to raise various skills, and I noticed that while there are some threads here and there for individual skills, there isn't anything comprehensive. So I'd like to get a discussion going on how we develop our skills. Then it'll be a matter of taking everybody's input and compiling a single guide for developing all skills in the game.
I'll start with the few methods that I know I can recommend with confidence, and some others that may not be ideal but worked for me.
So here are the skills I levelled quickly and efficiently, using my own methods:
Illusion: I built it up to 100 just casting muffle on myself. Took about two hours with some so-so magic regeneration gear.
Conjuration: I followed someone else's recommendation and cast soul trap on a dead body, taking about an hour to reach 100.
Alteration: I used detect life and reached 100 in about twenty minutes. This didn't work well at the college, where I needed several minutes for a single skill point. But out in front of Castle Dour, the skill just went up at a ridiculous pace. I can't explain why, but maybe the larger number of people standing around makes a difference?
Restoration: I used fast healing (later close wounds when I could find it), and hurt myself with equilibrium. The mana gain was faster than the health loss, and that meant I could cast infinitely without pausing. Took about an hour to reach 100 skill. Word to the wise though -- don't do this when you're tired. I kept dozing off with equilibrium held down.
Heavy Armor: I wouldn't work on this until I've made (or found) the best armor I can get. In a full suit of legendary daedric armor, I took my warrior to a graveyard and let a single skeleton pound on me. Once I reached 4/5 Juggernaut, I was at a point where my healing (weak as it was) could outpace the damage done by the skeleton. This method took me around 12 hours, done over a few days. A stronger restoration caster could take more of a beating and keep up with it, gaining skill faster.
Block: With my warrior, I used the same method as heavy armor, except no healing was necessary. My blocking was so good that my natural healing outpaced the single skeleton hitting me, and I reached 100 skill in about 2 hours. I haven't tested this, but I wonder if being hit harder would level it faster? Even then, I would only do that with a strong restoration caster.
Smithing: I made iron daggers to 100, but that's common knowledge.
Enchanting: I made rounds to all the shopkeepers that would sell filled soul gems and bought anything common or less. The sale of the enchanted daggers offset the cost of the materials, and the time it took to fast travel from place to place meant that shopkeepers were restocked after I finished making rounds to all the stores I knew. I did this concurrently with smithing, enchanting all the daggers I made.
Well that's it for my experience with building skills. I'm new to Skyrim, but I had a head start on learning with all my practice from Oblivion. Offensive skills like one-handed weapons and destruction I just use on my quests and take the gains as they come.
I'm hoping I can get enough responses on this post to put everything together in a single guide for all skills. Or if one exists and I missed it, just post a link to it.
I'll start with the few methods that I know I can recommend with confidence, and some others that may not be ideal but worked for me.
So here are the skills I levelled quickly and efficiently, using my own methods:
Illusion: I built it up to 100 just casting muffle on myself. Took about two hours with some so-so magic regeneration gear.
Conjuration: I followed someone else's recommendation and cast soul trap on a dead body, taking about an hour to reach 100.
Alteration: I used detect life and reached 100 in about twenty minutes. This didn't work well at the college, where I needed several minutes for a single skill point. But out in front of Castle Dour, the skill just went up at a ridiculous pace. I can't explain why, but maybe the larger number of people standing around makes a difference?
Restoration: I used fast healing (later close wounds when I could find it), and hurt myself with equilibrium. The mana gain was faster than the health loss, and that meant I could cast infinitely without pausing. Took about an hour to reach 100 skill. Word to the wise though -- don't do this when you're tired. I kept dozing off with equilibrium held down.
Heavy Armor: I wouldn't work on this until I've made (or found) the best armor I can get. In a full suit of legendary daedric armor, I took my warrior to a graveyard and let a single skeleton pound on me. Once I reached 4/5 Juggernaut, I was at a point where my healing (weak as it was) could outpace the damage done by the skeleton. This method took me around 12 hours, done over a few days. A stronger restoration caster could take more of a beating and keep up with it, gaining skill faster.
Block: With my warrior, I used the same method as heavy armor, except no healing was necessary. My blocking was so good that my natural healing outpaced the single skeleton hitting me, and I reached 100 skill in about 2 hours. I haven't tested this, but I wonder if being hit harder would level it faster? Even then, I would only do that with a strong restoration caster.
Smithing: I made iron daggers to 100, but that's common knowledge.
Enchanting: I made rounds to all the shopkeepers that would sell filled soul gems and bought anything common or less. The sale of the enchanted daggers offset the cost of the materials, and the time it took to fast travel from place to place meant that shopkeepers were restocked after I finished making rounds to all the stores I knew. I did this concurrently with smithing, enchanting all the daggers I made.
Well that's it for my experience with building skills. I'm new to Skyrim, but I had a head start on learning with all my practice from Oblivion. Offensive skills like one-handed weapons and destruction I just use on my quests and take the gains as they come.
I'm hoping I can get enough responses on this post to put everything together in a single guide for all skills. Or if one exists and I missed it, just post a link to it.
