Easy Alteration Skill

[진세]

Telekinesis and Detect Life/Dead both work the same way in that they cost mana per second. 

So you have to hold down the R1/L1 button for it to work.

Telekinesis is faster but Detect Life is better in areas 

where there are a lot of people in range of the spell 

(Windhelm docks, Whiterun market, Mistveil Keep Riften etc).

Use detect life near the barracks in solitude.

You just hold down telekenisis. 

Detect life you have to keep casting it over and over 
I just levelled alteration from 25-100 in about 10 minutes holding a jug in the air with telekenisis. 

I can't imagine detect life is faster than that

==========================

Alteration, one of the five schools of magic in Skyrim, affects the world around it by altering the laws of reality and manipulating it to one's own accord. Increasing this skill reduces magicka cost when casting Alteration spells. Historical information about the School of Alteration is provided in the lore article. The Alteration skill tree has a total of 10 perks, requiring a total of 14 perk points to fill.

In-game Description: The School of Alteration involves the manipulation of the physical world and its natural properties. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Waterbreathing, magical protection, and Paralysis.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Summary
• 2 Skill Perks
• 3 Spells
  • 3.1 Spell List Notes
  • 3.2 Mage Armor and Exceptions
  • 3.3 Magical Effects
• 4 Skill Increases
  • 4.1 Character Creation
  • 4.2 Trainers
  • 4.3 Skill Books
  • 4.4 Free Skill Boosts
  • 4.5 Gaining Skill XP
    • 4.5.1 Casting with Enemies Nearby
    • 4.5.2 Magelight
    • 4.5.3 Water Breathing Trick
    • 4.5.4 Casting Detect Life Spell in Cities
    • 4.5.5 Casting Telekinesis
    • 4.5.6 Transmuting Ore

Summary[edit]

Alteration contains a range of defensive and utility effects.

• Magic Armor spells provide a high, but temporary, level of armor protection, particularly with the right perks.
• Magic Resistance up to a passive 30% bonus is available via perks.
• Spell Absorption via the Atronach perk. This is one of only three ways to obtain spell absorption.
• Utility spells like Candle/Magelight, Waterbreathing, Telekinesis, Detect Life and Detect Dead are all of general use when exploring.
• Transmute allows you to turn Iron Ore into Silver Ore and Silver Ore into Gold Ore.
• Paralyze is the only really offensive aspect of this School of Magic.

In some ways the protective spells in Alteration are an alternative to the Wards found in the school of Restoration.

Skill Perks[edit]

Novice Alteration

Alteration Dual Casting

Apprentice Alteration

Magic Resistance

Adept Alteration

Expert Alteration

Atronach

Master Alteration

Stability

Mage Armor

Alteration Perk Tree

Perk	Rank	Description	ID	Skill Req.	Perk Req.
Novice Alteration		Cast Novice level Alteration spells for half magicka.	000f2ca6
Alteration Dual Casting		Dual casting an Alteration spell overcharges the effects into an even more powerful version.	000153cd	20 Alteration	Novice Alteration
Apprentice Alteration		Cast Apprentice level Alteration spells for half magicka.	000c44b7	25 Alteration	Novice Alteration
Magic Resistance	1	Blocks 10% of a spell's effects.	00053128	30 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration
	2	Blocks 20% of a spell's effects.	00053129	50 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration
	3	Blocks 30% of a spell's effects.	0005312a	70 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration
Adept Alteration		Cast Adept level Alteration spells for half magicka.	000c44b8	50 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration
Expert Alteration		Cast Expert level Alteration spells for half magicka.	000c44b9	75 Alteration	Adept Alteration
Atronach		Absorb 30% of the magicka of any spells that hit you.	000581f7	100 Alteration	Expert Alteration
Master Alteration		Cast Master level Alteration spells for half magicka.	000c44ba	100 Alteration	Expert Alteration
Stability		Alteration spells have 50% greater duration.	000581fc	70 Alteration	Adept Alteration
Mage Armor	1	Protection spells like Stoneflesh are twice as strong if not wearing armor.	000d7999	30 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration
	2	Protection spells like Stoneflesh are 2.5 times as strong if not wearing armor.	000d799a	50 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration
	3	Protection spells like Stoneflesh are three times as strong if not wearing armor.	000d799b	70 Alteration	Apprentice Alteration

Spells[edit]

Spell Name
(IDs)

Skill Level

Tome

MagickaBase Cost

Skill XP

Description and Effect Details

Where to Get

Candlelight

Spell ID:	00043324
Tome ID:	0009e2a7

0
Novice

44

21

2.5

Creates a hovering light that lasts for 60 seconds:

• Candlelight, 5 pts for 60 secs

• Can be purchased from: Calcelmo,Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire,Madena, Nelacar,Sybille Stentor,Tolfdir, Wuunferth the Unliving,Wylandriah
• Can be found inFort Snowhawk

Oakflesh

Spell ID:	0005ad5c
Tome ID:	0009e2a8

0
Novice

44

103

103

Improves the caster's armor rating by 40 points for 60 seconds:

• Armor - Oak, 40 pts for 60 secs
• The Mage Armor perk increases the magnitude to 80 pts (rank 1), 100 pts (rank 2), or 120 pts (rank 3)

• Can be purchased from: Calcelmo,Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire,Madena, Nelacar,Riverwood Trader,Sybille Stentor,Tolfdir, Wuunferth the Unliving,Wylandriah
• Can be found inShroud Hearth Barrow

Magelight

Spell ID:	00043323
Tome ID:	000a26e2

25
Apprentice

87

84

12

Ball of light that lasts 60 seconds and sticks where it strikes:

• Magelight, 5 pts for 60 secs

• Can be purchased from: Calcelmo,Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire,Madena, Sybille Stentor, Tolfdir,Wuunferth the Unliving,Wylandriah

Stoneflesh

Spell ID:	0005ad5d
Tome ID:	000a26e3

25
Apprentice

95

194

194

Improves the caster's armor rating by 60 points for 60 seconds:

• Armor - Stone, 60 pts for 60 secs
• The Mage Armor perk increases the magnitude to 120 pts (rank 1), 150 pts (rank 2), or 180 pts (rank 3)

• Can be purchased from: Calcelmo,Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire,Madena, Sybille Stentor, Tolfdir,Wuunferth the Unliving,Wylandriah

Ash Shell^DB

Spell ID:	xx017731
Tome ID:	xx0177ac

50
Adept

425

251

251

Targets that fail to resist are immobilized in hardened ash for 30 seconds:

• Ash Shell, for 30 secs

• Can be purchased from Talvas Fathryon^DB after completing the quest From the Ashes.
• Only available with theDragonborn add-on

Detect Life

Spell ID:	000211ee
Tome ID:	000a26e7

50
Adept

332

100/s

6.5/s per target

Nearby living creatures, but not undead, machines or daedra, can be seen through walls:

• Detect Life Enemy Exterior, in 200 ft
• Detect Life Enemy Interior, in 100 ft
• Detect Life Friend Exterior, in 200 ft
• Detect Life Friend Interior, in 100 ft

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir, Wylandriah
• Reward for quest Infiltration

Ironflesh

Spell ID:	00051b16
Tome ID:	000a26e4

50
Adept

341

266

266

Improves the caster's armor rating by 80 points for 60 seconds:

• Armor - Iron, 80 pts for 60 secs
• The Mage Armor perk increases the magnitude to 160 pts (rank 1), 200 pts (rank 2), or 240 pts (rank 3)

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir,Wylandriah

Telekinesis

Spell ID:	0001a4cc
Tome ID:	000a26e5

50
Adept

326

170/s

170/s

Can pull an object to you from a distance. Add it to your inventory or throw it:

• Telekinesis Effect, 1 pt

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir,Wylandriah
• Can be found in the Redwater Den^DG,Benkongerike Great Hall, among a pile of Lusty Argonian Maid books^DB

Transmute

Spell ID:	00109111
Tome ID:	00109112

50
Adept

200

100

15 (scripted)

Transmutes one piece of unrefined Iron ore to Silver, or Silver ore to Gold if the caster is carrying any:

• Transmute Mineral Ore, 5 pts for 1 sec
• Prioritizes turning silver into gold

• Not available for purchase
• Can be found inAnsilvund Burial Chambers, Halted Stream Camp

Waterbreathing

Spell ID:	0005d175
Tome ID:	000a26e6

50
Adept

340

222

222

Can breathe water for 60 seconds:

• Waterbreathing, for 60 secs

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir,Wylandriah

Ash Rune^DB

Spell ID:	xx0177af
Tome ID:	xx0177b5

75
Expert

635

418

418

Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes when enemies are nearby, immobilizing them in hardened ash for 30 seconds:

• Cast on ground
• Ash Rune, 50 pts for 1 sec

• Can be purchased from Talvas Fathryon^DB after completing the quest From the Ashes.
• Only available with theDragonborn add-on

Detect Dead

Spell ID:	000211ef
Tome ID:	000a26ea

75
Expert

600

148/s

9.25/s per target

Nearby dead can be seen through walls:

• Detect Undead Enemy Exterior, in 200 ft
• Detect Undead Enemy Interior, in 100 ft
• Detect Undead Friend Exterior, in 200 ft
• Detect Undead Friend Interior, in 100 ft

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir
• Can be found in the hands of aFrozen Falmer in the Inner Sanctumof the Forgotten Vale^DG
• Can be found inThe Sallow Regentpart of Apocrypha^DB

Ebonyflesh

Spell ID:	0005ad5e
Tome ID:	000a26e9

75
Expert

650

341

341

Improves the caster's armor rating by 100 points for 60 seconds:

• Armor - Ebony, 100 pts for 60 secs
• The Mage Armor perk increases the magnitude to 200 pts (rank 1), 250 pts (rank 2), or 300 pts (rank 3)

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir

Paralyze

Spell ID:	0005ad5f
Tome ID:	000a26e8

75
Expert

685

450

450

Targets that fail to resist are paralyzed for 10 seconds:

• Paralyze, for 10 secs
• Stagger Push, 100 pts

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir

Dragonhide

Spell ID:	000cdb70
Tome ID:	000d2b4e

100
Master

1389

837

837

Caster ignores 80% of all physical damage for 30 seconds:

• Armor - Dragonhide, for 30 secs

• Reward for questAlteration Ritual Spell

Mass Paralysis

Spell ID:	000b62e6
Tome ID:	000dd646

100
Master

1280

937

937

All targets in the area that fail to resist are paralyzed for 15 seconds:

• Paralyze, for 15 secs in 40 ft
• Stagger Area Attack, 0.05 pts in 40 ft

• Can be purchased from: Tolfdir(only afterAlteration Ritual Spell has been completed)

Equilibrium

Spell ID:	000da746
Tome ID:	000f4997

N/A

250

1/s + 25 health/s

0.01/s

Convert 25 points ofhealth into magicka per second. Caster can be killed by this effect:

• Damage Health, 25 pts
• Restore Magicka, 25 pts

• Not available for purchase
• Can be found inLabyrinthian Chasm
• Affected by difficulty, which means you will drain more than 25 health if you play on expert or master and less if you play on apprentice or novice, but always will get 25 magicka per second.

Spell List Notes[edit]

• The base cost for spells is the amount of magicka that would be necessary to cast the spell at 0 skill without any perks. The magicka cost at 100 skill is 41% less than the base cost; the cost can also be reduced via enchanted apparel and by unlocking various perks. See Spell Cost for the full magicka cost equation.
• Skill level indicates which skill perk needs to be unlocked to decrease the spell's magicka cost. "N/A" is used for special spells whose cost is not affected by any perks.
• The "Where to Get" column only lists guaranteed locations for obtaining the spell tomes. Most spell tomes are also available in random loot; see Spell Tome Locations for details.
• For higher-level spell tomes to become available for purchase, your skill in the school must be high enough. Also, master-level spell tomes can only be acquired once that school's ritual spell quest has been completed.
• All spell tomes have a weight of 1.
• Skill XP can be modified by scripts and by the game engine itself under various circumstances. The exact XP you receive may vary from the numbers listed here.
• Magicka cost and skill XP are rounded down, both in game and on this page. Because of this, you may find that you cannot cast a spell even though it appears you have exactly enough magicka to do so.

Mage Armor and Exceptions[edit]

Wearing any piece of apparel with the keyword ArmorLight or ArmorHeavy, including equipping such an item after aMage Armor spell has been cast, will completely negate the armor bonus from any Mage Armor perks. However, shields do not use either of these keywords, so equipping a shield will have no effect on the bonus. There is also a small assortment of apparel items that have an armor rating but lack the relevant keywords and thus can be worn without disabling the Mage Armor effect:

• Amulet of Articulation
• Diadem of the Savant
• Fine Armguards
• General Tullius' Armor
• Locket of Saint Jiub^DG
• Miraak's Boots^DB

Magical Effects[edit]

A list of standard alteration spells can be found on the Alteration spells page. The following individual effects are all considered to be part of the school of Alteration (see the individual effect pages for full details on availability; the Magical Effects article also provides a summary):

•  Ash Shell^DB
•  Armor
•  Detect Life
•  Detect Undead
•  Light
•  Paralyze
•  Telekinesis
•  Transmute
•  Waterbreathing

Skill Increases[edit]

Character Creation[edit]

The following races have an initial skill bonus to Alteration:

• +5 bonus: Altmer, Argonian, Breton, Dunmer, Redguard

Trainers[edit]

• Dravynea the Stoneweaver in Kynesgrove (Expert)
• Tolfdir in the College of Winterhold (Master)

Skill Books[edit]

• Breathing Water
• Daughter of the Niben
• The Lunar Lorkhan
• Reality & Other Falsehoods
• Sithis

Free Skill Boosts[edit]

• +1 Alteration reward from Dravynea the Stoneweaver for completing the quest Dravynea's Frost Salts.
• +1 Alteration reward (as well as +1 to all other magic skills) from Pantea Ateia (Bards College) for completing the quest Pantea's Flute.
• +5 Alteration (+5 every Magic skill) by selecting "The Path of Magic" when reading the Oghma Infinium after completing the quest Discerning the Transmundane.

Gaining Skill XP[edit]

• Casting higher level spells gives generally faster skill increases (Novice<Apprentice<Adept<Expert<Master).
• Regenerate Magicka effects help reduce downtimes while training.
• It is possible to reduce or even completely eliminate the magicka cost of spells by stacking Fortify Alterationenchanting effects, which is very helpful for Alteration training. The Secret of Arcana^DB power does the same thing, but only for 30 seconds.

Casting with Enemies Nearby[edit]

Repeatedly casting high-duration Alteration spells (like Oak Flesh, Stone Flesh, Iron Flesh, or Ebony Flesh) while in a combat situation will quickly increase one's Alteration skill. An effective method for doing so very quickly:

1. Get a melee based follower and/or conjured melee atronach (Familiar, Frost Atronach, Ash Spawn, or Dremora Lord) to attack an enemy or group of enemies. The player can usually cast their alteration spell from safety during combat while the follower and/or conjured pet do actual fighting. This allows for leveling and questing at the same time. Casting a flesh spell in one hand and Bound Sword in the other will level both Alteration and Conjuration at the same time.
2. Find a place with an enemy or enemies that only use melee attacks that also has a high platform or place otherwise out of reach of the enemies. Preferably, kill all but one of the enemies: Bleakwind Basin works very well for this purpose. Alternatively, along the shore of the Sea of Ghosts, the Horkers can be made aggressive without them actually attacking, allowing one to move far enough away to use the Wait function but still close enough to train the skill. And then there's Roadside Ruins, where a Spriggan Matron will notice the player, but she cannot attack since she's trapped inside. Slaughterfish can also be exploited by getting their attention and then standing on a nearby shore to cast.
3. With both hands, continually cast the highest level Alteration armor spell. Casting the higher-level spells progresses the skill faster (Oak < Stone < Iron < Ebony), so it might be advisable to take a break part way through to go buy them once you've reached a level where the better spells are available. Often the enemy will run far enough away from your location to allow you to use the Wait function. If so, wait an hour to get more Magicka to keep casting the spell, or just wait until it refills itself. The giants in Bleakwind Basin will almost assuredly run away, though, if you're standing on the rectangular pillar near their fire. Mammoths never run away from you when they can't reach you. Using this method, one can go from 0 Alteration to 100 Alteration in roughly 40 minutes, but it depends on total Magicka available, particular spells cast, and the location chosen.
4. Use a follower or permanent summon to continuously attack an NPC that cannot be killed. If your ally can keep the NPC on their knees, this leaves you free to repeatedly cast a spell.
5. Once the Quiet Casting perk from the Illusion school of magic and the Throw Voice shout from Shearpoint have been acquired, one can misdirect enemies to and fro, and cast any of the "...-flesh" spells while they are searching for you. Using a magicka regeneration potion is useful in this scenario. An extra added benefit is that you can constantly sneak around enemies while casting, increasing your Sneak skill as well.
6. The Paralyze spell is the perfect spell for Alteration training. If you reduce magicka cost to 0 using enchanted items, dual casting it on an enemy can level you up so fast that it might be considered game-breaking. With the Mage Stone, one can train Alteration from 15 to 100 in less than 5 minutes. It can be used to level up by making it Legendary over and over again.

Magelight[edit]

Magelight can be cast anywhere for a small amount of XP, such as while walking to some distant destination, making this a sure but slow way to level Alteration.

Water Breathing Trick[edit]

After you learn Water Breathing, another way to quickly level Alteration is to stand in water and repeatedly castWater Breathing. You don't actually have to be underwater, just standing in it (this only applies to pools of water you could actually dive into; so the small streams in Whiterun won't work, but the river outside will, as will the pool just outside the entrance to Dragonsreach).

Casting Detect Life Spell in Cities[edit]

The Detect Life spell increases your Alteration experience depending on the number of targets it is currently detecting. Using it on your horse in the wilderness is almost useless, while using it in crowded location (the market in Riften during the day, for instance) gives incredible training speed. The more living objects in range, the better. Depending on the amount of NPCs within range, it should be possible to level Alteration from 15 to 100 in around 20 minutes in the following locations.

Between 8am and 5pm the markets in most walled cities can be used to power-level Alteration. Riften's, Whiterun's, and Windhelm's markets have particularly high numbers of NPCs, while standing between the market and Castle Dour in Solitude will boost the low market numbers with soldiers from the castle grounds.

Later in the day moving to the main tavern will allow for more power-leveling. The Silver-Blood Inn (Markarth), The Bee and Barb (Riften), the Winking Skeever (Solitude), the Bannered Mare (Whiterun), and Candlehearth Hall(Windhelm) are the most populated inns in the walled cities. The Retching Netch^DB in Raven Rock also has high numbers.

After the Civil War is over, either the Blue Palace (Stormcloaks) or the Palace of the Kings (Imperial Army) will be packed with exiled Jarls and their most loyal allies.

Casting Telekinesis[edit]

Holding any object in the air with Telekinesis without picking it up also gives a very high amount of experience. If the suspended object touches any NPC they will become hostile though, so be careful. If you can get a total of 100% magicka reduction cost, and fast travel while holding an object, the game will act as if you had kept casting for the whole duration of the travel, and level Alteration appropriately. For example, fast traveling between Riften and Markarth will increase your Alteration skill to 100, even if you start from 15.

Transmuting Ore[edit]

Outside combat, you can gain a substantial amount of Alteration experience if you know the Transmute spell by using it to transmute iron ore into silver and gold ore. Even at low levels of Alteration, it should be possible to cast Transmute (an Adept level spell), although if you have been busy mining it may take a long while to turn all of your iron into gold (which you can then smith into jewelry for Smithing experience). The Transmute spell is not available from spell merchants, but the spell book is in two fixed locations in dungeons.

=================

Alteration is a skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and is one of the six skills that fall under The Mage play-style. The Alteration skill is raised by using certain kinds of spells that identify themselves as alteration spells. These alteration spells include the ability to don magic armor, detect entities either by illumination of the area or by magically sensing their presence; the ability to temporarily stun foes (paralyze), and a few special spells marked with * in the list below.

Contents

[show]

Changes from previous gamesEdit

Since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not feature custom spell creation, all alteration spells are now learned through spell tomes. The spells open lock, levitation, burden and feather make no appearance in the game.

Skill BooksEdit

Alteration Spell Book

Main article: Skill Book (Skyrim)

The following books provide a permanent skill up to Alteration; locations are listed under each title, and may not be exhaustive. Skill books are one time use only. After a skill book is read once, reading the same book does not increase skills.

• Breathing Water
• Bravil: Daughter of the Niben
• Reality and Other Falsehoods

Alteration perks tree

• Sithis
• The Lunar Lorkhan

QuestsEdit

The following quests increase the Alteration skill:

• Retrieve Frost Salts for Dravynea the Stoneweaver in Kynesgrove
• "Find Pantea's Flute" for Pantea Ateia in the Bards College in Solitude(Also increases Illusion, Enchanting, Conjuration, Destruction, andRestoration)
• "Discerning the Transmundane"
  • When reading the Oghma Infinium, selecting the Path of Magic will increase all magic skills (including Alteration) by five points.
• "Alteration Ritual Spell" is given by Tolfdir at the College of Winterhold after the Dragonborn's Alteration skill level reaches 90. This quest does not increase the Alteration skill but, upon completion, allows for the purchase of master-level spell tomes.

SpellsEdit

The following is a complete list of Alteration spells:

Novice (skill level 0)Edit

Spell Name	Description	Magicka Base Cost
Candlelight	Creates a hovering light that lasts for 60 seconds.	21
Equilibrium	Convert health into magicka at a rate of 25 points per second. Caster can be killed by this effect.	0 (25 health per second)
Oakflesh	Improves the caster's armor rating by 40 points for 60 seconds.	103

Apprentice (skill level 25)Edit

Spell Name	Description	Magicka Base Cost
Magelight	Ball of light that lasts 60 seconds and sticks where it strikes.	84
Stoneflesh	Improves the caster's armor rating by 60 points for 60 seconds.	194

Adept (skill level 50)Edit

Spell Name	Description	Magicka Base Cost
Ash Shell DR	Targets that fail to resist are immobilized in hardened ash for 30 seconds.	149 per second
Detect Life	Nearby living creatures, (but not undead, machines, or daedra) can be seen through walls.	100 per second
Ironflesh	Improves the caster's armor rating by 80 points for 60 seconds.	266
Telekinesis	Can pull an object to you from distance. Add it to your inventory or throw it.	170 per second
Transmute	Transmute one piece of unrefined Iron Ore to Silver, or Silver Ore to Gold, if the caster is carrying any.	100
Waterbreathing	Can breathe under water for 60 seconds.	222

Expert (skill level 75)Edit

Spell Name	Description	Magicka Base Cost
Ash RuneDR	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes when enemies are nearby, immobilizing them in hardened ash for 30 seconds.	248
Detect Dead	Nearby dead can be seen through walls.	148 per second
Ebonyflesh	Improves the caster's armor rating by 100 points for 60 seconds.	341
Paralyze	Targets that fail to resist are paralyzed for 10 seconds.	450

Master (skill level 100)Edit

Master spells can't be purchased initially. To unlock Master Alteration spells, the "Alteration Ritual Spell" quest must be completed upon reaching level 90 Alteration.

Spell Name	Description	Magicka Base Cost
Dragonhide	Caster ignores 80% of all physical damage for 30 seconds.	837
Mass Paralysis	All targets in the area that fail to resist are paralyzed for 15 seconds.	937

PerksEdit

The following are perks that become available for selection as the skill is leveled up:

Perk (Ranks)	Requirements	Description
Novice Alteration	None	Cast Novice level Alteration spells for half magicka
Alteration Dual Casting	Alteration 20, Novice Alteration	Dual casting an Alteration spell overcharges the effects into an even more powerful version
Apprentice Alteration	Alteration 25, Novice Alteration	Cast Apprentice level Alteration spells for half magicka
Mage Armor (3)	Alteration 30/50/70, Apprentice Alteration	Protection spells like Stoneflesh are twice as strong if not wearing armor (+0.5 per additional rank)
Magic Resistance (3)	Alteration 30/50/70, Apprentice Alteration	Blocks 10%/20%/30% of a spells effect. Magic resistance does not stop friendly spells from affecting the caster. See also:Breton, Agent of Mara and The Lord Stone for a method of achieving 85% resistance without requiring any gear.
Adept Alteration	Alteration 50, Apprentice Alteration	Cast Adept level Alteration spells for half magicka
Stability	Alteration 70, Adept Alteration	Alteration spells have greater duration (+50%)
Expert Alteration	Alteration 75, Adept Alteration	Cast Expert level Alteration spells for half magicka
Atronach	Alteration 100, Expert Alteration	Grants 30% Spell Absorption Spell absorption will block friendly spells as well as hostile ones.
Master Alteration	Alteration 100, Expert Alteration	Cast Master level Alteration spells for half magicka

TrainersEdit

• Melaran (Adept): Solitude
• Dravynea the Stoneweaver (Expert): Kynesgrove
• Tolfdir (Master): Hall of the Elements or the Hall of Attainment at the College of Winterhold

LevelingEdit

The Alteration skill level can be increased by using these tactics:

• With 100 Enchanting, it is possible to enchant apparel to reduce Alteration spell magicka usage (Fortify Alteration effect) to zero. With this equipped, it is easy to raise the skill using virtually any spell.
• If you enchant a chestpiece with Fortify Alteration and Fortify Alteration and Magicka Regen, and a necklace and a ring with Fortify Alteration it is possible to get a total bonus between the 3 items of over 100% reduction with 100 enchanting and an enchanting potion. This allows you to use the Aetherial Crown with the Mage Stone and the Well Rested bonus.
  • If you utilize this equipment set up and use Mass Paralysis in a large group of enemies, it is possible to level from 15 to 100 in less than a few minutes. If you have completed Season Unending and there are Imperials at Fellglow Keep, you can walk into the middle of the group of them and cast Mass Paralysis, with 11 imperials it takes approximately 12 casts of Mass Paralysis to go from 15 to 100. This is quite possibly the fastest way to gain perk points in the legendary edition and could also be used to allow you to quickly gain levels if you want to train your other skills by using trainers.
• Obtain the novice Illusion spell Fury, and while hidden, cast it on a chicken. This will make the chicken register as an enemy, and it will try to attack you, but it cant hurt you, giving you the opportunity to continually cast oakflesh/stoneflesh to level up(until the chicken is killed by an NPC for being hostile). If you are spotted casting fury on the chicken, you will get a small bounty.
• Wearing Master Robes of Alteration, Morokei, The Apprentice Stone, and an Amulet of Akatosh will increase the base magicka regen to 375%. This percentage can be raised even higher with a ring enchanted withRegenerate Magicka, depending on Enchanting level.
• Waterbreathing can be cast while standing in shallow water for easy experience.
• Telekinesis, while very magicka-expensive, will raise Alteration very quickly. One option is to just hold an object in the air using this spell and to wait until your magicka runs out - also, face a wall or corner so when the item is thrown it doesn't hit anyone or get lost. Any item that can be picked up or dropped from the inventory can be used.
  • Since Telekinesis is a sustained-cast spell, using Secret of Arcana (only available through theDragonborn expansion) while casting Telekinesis continuously is especially efficient, and can raise Alteration to 100 in less than 10 minutes as continuing to sustain the spell past the 30-second duration of Secret of Arcana will keep casting it cost-free.
  • If you'd like to skip the Secret of Arcana option, simply step into one of the three Mystic Focal Points (the pillars of light) at the College as it provides limitless magicka. Casting telekinesis on anything in the room levels you painlessly, aside from the cramp in your finger. The cramps can be avoided by a) taping the triggers down if on console or b) using a heavy cylindrical object to keep the key depressed, such as a stack of coins.
  • If Alteration is reset to 15 by making the skill legendary, it takes approximately 14 and a half minutes of continuous Telekinesis with the Secret of Arcana exploit to get back to 100, if the The Mage Stone is in use. Without the Mage Stone, it becomes approximately 17 minutes, 20 seconds.
  • Using the Secret of Arcana exploit, Telekinesis on one hand, Detect Life on the other, a crowded area, and the Mage Stone, it is possible to go from 15 to 100 Alteration in less than 10 minutes.
  • Equipping Telekinesis in both hands and using them slightly delayed, but not dual-casting, to pick up an item then fast traveling can level up Alteration to 100 in one load screen. It is recommended to go a far distance to maximize the amount of levels gained (for example: being in Riften then fast traveling toMarkarth). This can only be done with equipment that reduces magicka cost of alteration spells to zero.
• Casting Magelight and Candlelight as often as possible provides a slow but easy flow of experience. Since Candlelight and Magelight are Novice and Apprentice level spells respectively, they are obtainable early.
• Transmute Mineral Ore can be used to convert iron ore into gold ore (iron -> silver -> gold). From there, the ore can be smelted into ingots (remember that two gold ore are needed for a single gold ingot), and gold jewelry can be crafted and sold. Enchanting obtained items will increase prices, thus providing Alteration, Smithing, Enchanting, and Speech experience. Additionally stolen iron or silver ore, after being transmuted, no longer have the stolen tag, allowing it to be sold without having to go through a fence.
• Repetitively casting Paralyze levels from level 75 onwards extremely quickly, simply requiring a single NPC (enemy or not, even Hold Guards). The spell can simply be cast on them again and again. Leveling to 100 from 75 takes approximately 10/20 minutes of casting (with items reducing magicka cost equipped)
• Repetitively casting Mass Paralysis can level Alteration from 15 to 100 in under 5 minutes, but requires enchanted items to reduce Alteration magicka usage by 100% due to its high cost. Once you have these, simply visit somewhere with at least five NPCs (enemy or not) nearby. The initial cast may be tricky if you're being attacked due to the long cast time, but once you get the spell off you can repeat it easily.
• Casting Detect Life is a very quick way to level Alteration. The more 'life' that is detected, the faster this method works.
• Repeatedly casting Stoneflesh or Oakflesh next to an immobile enemy (like the caged wolves in Cragslane Cavern) quickly levels Alteration.
  • Cragslane Cavern is involved in the quest Skooma Trade; a bug exists that may prevent that quest from being completed if it is visited before being sent there by the quest. There should be two caged wolves immediately outside of Cragslane cavern that may be used for this purpose without triggering the bug.
  • Alternatively, the Bloodlet Throne southwest of Helgen could be used to practice spells with the vampires on the other side of the barricade.
• In the quest The Break of Dawn, casting Oakflesh then standing in the beam of the beacon will quickly level Alteration.
• Stand next to a body of water that contains a Slaughterfish as an enemy and cast flesh spells.

UsefulnessEdit

Alteration provides pure mages and magic dabblers alike the ability to bolster their defenses. However, until expert level Alteration is purely defensive. In addition, Alteration normally levels slowly because the "flesh" spells will rarely be cast more than once during each combat encounter. Their high cost also means that pure mages sacrifice tons of offensive potential by casting a flesh spell at the beginning of combat. In general, Alteration spells are most useful for a character who in the long term wants to be more resistant to magic (the alteration perks magic resistance and atronach), a character planning to be able to paralyze their foes (a powerful effect), a pure mage who isn't confident in their ability to avoid weapons based attacks and so uses flesh spells, or a warrior who dabbles in magic.

BugsEdit

This section contains bugs related to Alteration (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

1. Please reload an old save to confirm‎ if the bug is still happening.
2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template 360  / XB1  ,  PS3  / PS4  ,  PC  / MAC  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person-anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

• The master spell Dragonhide may not increase the armor rating, at least not while wearing Dragonscale or Dragonplate armor. If the apparel is changed while under the effect of the Dragonhide spell, the armor rating may be brought down to one.
• Casting the Waterbreathing spell while underwater can result in the spell not working.
• Killing a paralyzed enemy may prevent it from being resurrected with conjuration spells.