Abilities in Skyrim refer to the to passive bonuses that players can get applied to their character. These differ to powers as they normally do not require activation and are not restricted to being used only once a day. The effects that abilities give to players can be seen under the Active Effects list in the magic menu. Players can find abilities in many places and sources with some of them being mutually exclusive to others, such as characters only able to have 1 racial ability.
Getting Abilities in Skyrim
Abilities are organized by the method they are obtained, each method have different limitations and characteristics. Some abilities only last for a duration while others are permanent bonuses to the character.
Racial Abilities are permanent effects that are selected and received at character creation so players can only benefit from 1. Vampire and Werewolf racial abilities are given to players who have involved themselves in Vampirism and Lycanthropy and do not conflicting with the regular race abilities.
Blessings last 8 real-time hours from when they are activated. Only 1 blessing can be activated at a time and praying at different shrines will remove the previous blessing to apply the new one. Blessings are received from praying at an altar, typically located in temples.
Standing Stones Abilities do not have a timer or duration but only a single standing stone ability can be active at a time. To get a standing stone ability players have to visit the desired Standing Stone and activating it. There are 9 Standing Stones that provide a passive ability.
Temporary Abilities are abilities that players can receive that are limited in duration, unlike other Abilities players are able to have multiple Temporary Abilities active at the same time.
Quest Abilities are permanent abilities that players receive as a reward from certain quests. There are no specific restrictions to these besides having to find and complete the quest to gain the ability.
Armor Abilities are special abilities that some special armor or armor sets give as a bonus to the wearer. These will be active while the armor is on and deactivated when the armor is unequipped.
Skyrim Abilities Tips
- The Temple of the Divines in Solitude has shrines to 9 different divines for players to pray to for blessings
- Standing stones can be fast travelled to after they have been found so players can choose and swap their standing stone abilities conveniently
- The Guardian stone abilities are great for leveling skills and the player up quickly each giving 20% to their respective skill groups
- Racial abilities can be very powerful additions to player gameplay experience when incorporated into their style of combat or story
- Quest abilities have no downsides besides having to find and complete the quests so it is recommended for players to try to obtain the ones that interest them when they can
- The Well Rested Temporary Ability is relatively easy to have active to help the player with leveling up
All Skyrim Abilities
Quick Search of All Skyrim Abilities
Click the header to sort the table.
Name | Type | Source | Effects |
---|---|---|---|
Blessing of Akatosh | Blessings | Shrine of Akatosh | Magicka regenerates 10% faster. |
Blessing of Arkay | Blessings | Shrine of Arkay | Increases your Health by 25 points. |
Blessing of Dibella | Blessings | Shrine of Dibella | +10 Speechcraft. |
Blessing of Julianos | Blessings | Shrine of Julianos | Increases your Magicka by 25 points. |
Blessing of Kynareth | Blessings | Shrine of Kynareth | Increases your Stamina by 25 points. |
Blessing of Mara | Blessings | Shrine of Mara | Healing spells restore 10% more. |
Blessing of Nocturnal | Blessings | Shrine of Nocturnal | You are 10% harder to detect while sneaking. |
Blessing of Stendarr | Blessings | Shrine of Stendarr | Block 10% more damage with your shield. |
Blessing of Talos | Blessings | Shrine of Talos | Time between shouts is reduced by 20%. |
Blessing of Zenithar | Blessings | Shrine of Zenithar | Prices are 10% better. |
Blessing of Auriel | Blessings | Shrine of Auriel | You are 10% more effective with missile weapons. |
Blessing of Azura | Blessings | Raven Rock Temple | Resist 10% of magic. |
Blessing of Boethiah | Blessings | Raven Rock Temple | One Handed weapons do 10% more damage. |
Blessing of Mephala | Blessings | Raven Rock Temple | Prices are 10% better. |
Deathbrand Instinct | Armor Abilities | Deathbrand Armor | Increases armor rating by 100 points if wearing all Deathbrand Armor. |
Nightingale Armor Full Set | Armor Abilities | Nightingale Armor | Increases armor rating by 25 points if wearing all Nightingale Armor. |
Shrouded Armor Full Set | Armor Abilities | Shrouded Armor | Increases armor rating by 25 points if wearing all Shrouded Armor. |
Boethiah's Embrace | Armor Abilities | Ebony Mail | You are able to move more quietly, and opponents that get too close take 5 points poison damage per second if wearing Ebony Mail. |
Agent of Dibella | Quest Abilities | The Heart of Dibella | You do 10% more combat damage to the opposite sex. |
Agent of Mara | Quest Abilities | The Book of Love | 15% Resist Magic. |
Ancient Knowledge | Quest Abilities | Unfathomable Depths | Knowledge gained from the Lexicon gives you a 25% bonus while wearing Dwarven Armor and Smithing increases 15% faster. |
Dragon Infusion | Quest Abilities | Dragon Research | You take 25% less melee damage from dragons. |
Prowler's Profit | Quest Abilities | No Stone Unturned | Anywhere gems might be found, members of the Thieves Guild always seem to find a few more. |
Sailor's Repose | Quest Abilities | Granted from Frostflow Lighthouse | Healing spells cure 10% more. |
Sinderion's Serendipity | Quest Abilities | A Return To Your Roots | 25% chance to create a duplicate when creating a potion. |
Archmage's Authority | Quest Abilities | The Eye of Magnus | Better prices with members of the College of Winterhold. |
Gift of the Gab | Quest Abilities | Tending the Flames | Speech skill increases 15% faster. |
Champion's Insight | Quest Abilities | Black Book Winds of Change | Your attacks, shouts, and destruction spells do no damage to your followers when in combat. |
Lover's Insight | Quest Abilities | Black Book Winds of Change | Do 10% more damage and get 10% better prices from people of the opposite sex. |
Scholar's Insight | Quest Abilities | Black Book Winds of Change | Reading Skill Books gives you an extra Skill Point. |
Dragonborn Flame | Quest Abilities | Black Book Epistolary Acumen | When your Fire Breath Shout kills an enemy, a fire wyrm emerges from their corpse to fight for you for 60 seconds. |
Dragonborn Force | Quest Abilities | Black Book Epistolary Acumen | Your Unrelenting Force Shout does more damage and using all three words may disintegrate enemies. |
Dragonborn Frost | Quest Abilities | Black Book Epistolary Acumen | Your Frost Breath Shout encases foes in ice for 15 seconds. |
Seeker of Might | Quest Abilities | Black Book The Sallow Regent | Warrior skills are all 10% more effective. 10% improved Smithing |
Seeker of Shadows | Quest Abilities | Black Book The Sallow Regent | Thief skills are all 10% more effective. 10% improved Alchemy |
Seeker of Sorcery | Quest Abilities | Black Book The Sallow Regent | All spells cost 10% less Magicka. 10% improved Enchanting |
Highborn | Racial Abilities | Altmer | High Elves are born with 50 extra Magicka. |
Resist Disease | Racial Abilities | Argonian | Your Argonian blood gives you 50% resistance to disease. |
Waterbreathing | Racial Abilities | Argonian | Your Argonian lungs can breathe underwater. |
Resist Disease, Resist Poison | Racial Abilities | Bosmer | Your Bosmer blood gives you 50% resistance to poison and disease. |
Magic Resistance | Racial Abilities | Breton | Your Breton blood grants a 25% resistance to magic. |
Resist Fire | Racial Abilities | Dunmer | Your Dunmer blood gives you 50% resistance to fire. |
Imperial Luck | Racial Abilities | Imperial | Wherever there is gold to be found, Imperials seem to find a little more (10% extra). |
Claws | Racial Abilities | Khajiit | Khajiit claws do 15 points of damage. |
Resist Frost | Racial Abilities | Nord | Your Nord blood gives you 50% resistance to frost. |
Resist Poison | Racial Abilities | Redguard | Your Redguard blood gives you 50% resistance to poison. |
Champion of the Night | Racial Abilities | Vampirism | Illusion spells cast by a Vampire are 25% more powerful. |
Nightstalker's Footsteps | Racial Abilities | Vampirism | Vampires are 25% harder to detect while sneaking. |
Resist Disease | Racial Abilities | Vampirism | Your Vampiric blood gives you 100% resistance to disease. |
Resist Frost | Racial Abilities | Vampirism | Your Vampiric blood gives you 25% resistance to frost. |
Resist Poison | Racial Abilities | Vampirism | Your Vampiric blood gives you 100% resistance to poison. |
Weakness to Fire | Racial Abilities | Vampirism | Your Vampiric blood makes you 25% more vulnerable to fire. |
Resist Disease | Racial Abilities | Lycanthropy | Your beast blood gives you 100% resistance to disease. |
Werewolf Claws | Racial Abilities | Lycanthropy | Unarmed strikes do x additional damage. |
The Apprentice Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Apprentice Stone | Magicka regeneration is doubled Weakness to Magicka is doubled |
The Atronach Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Atronach Stone | 50% Spell Absorption +50 Magicka Magicka regenerates 50% slower |
The Lady Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Lady Stone | Regenerate Health and Stamina 25% faster |
The Lord Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Lord Stone | +50 Armor +25% Magic Resistance |
The Lover Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Lover Stone | Learn all skills 15% faster |
The Mage Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Mage Stone | Learn Mage skills 20% faster |
The Steed Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Steed Stone | 100 extra carrying capacity No movement penalty is applied due to armor Equipped armor is weightless |
The Thief Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Thief Stone | Learn Thief skills 20% faster |
The Warrior Stone | Standing Stones Abilities | The Warrior Stone | Learn Warrior skills 20% faster |
Blood of the Ancients | Temporary Abilities | Drinking from the Bloodstone Chalice in Castle Volkihar | Your Vampiric Drain spell absorbs Magicka and Stamina from your victims for x days |
Dragonslayer's Blessing | Temporary Abilities | Asking Esbern about the blessing after "Alduin's Wall" | 10% increased Critical Hit chance vs. Dragons for 5 days |
Rested | Temporary Abilities | Sleep in any bed | All skills improve 5% faster for eight hours. |
Well Rested | Temporary Abilities | Sleep in a bed you own or rent | All skills improve 10% faster for eight hours. |
Lover's Comfort | Temporary Abilities | Sleep in the house where your spouse lives | All skills improve 15% faster for eight hours. |
Father's Love | Temporary Abilities | Sleep in the same house as an adopted child | Healing spells and potions add 25% extra Health for eight hours |
Mother's Love | Temporary Abilities | Sleep in the same house as an adopted child | Healing spells and potions add 25% extra Health for eight hours |
Tainted Blood of the Ancients | Temporary Abilities | Drinking from the spring in Redwater Den | Your Vampiric Drain spell absorbs Magicka and Stamina from your victims for 1 day, but at the cost of 30 less Health. |
The Gift of Charity | Temporary Abilities | Donate 1 Septim to a beggar, or give a present to an adopted child | Speechcraft is increased by 10 points for one hour. |
Vampiric Blood Rested | Temporary Abilities | Sleeping in a coffin as a vampire | 10% Resist Magic effect. |
Voice of the Sky | Temporary Abilities | Reading the 10 Etched Tablets on the Seven Thousand Steps | Animals will neither attack nor flee from you for 24 hours of actual gameplay. |
Weakened Soul | Temporary Abilities | Become partially soul trapped during "Chasing Echoes" | Health, Magicka and Stamina recover slowly while in the Soul Cairn and are reduced by 45 points. |
Blessing of the Stag Prince | Temporary Abilities | equipping and using the Glass Bow of the Stag Prince | Grants an additional 5 points of Health and Magicka for every 20 animal kills. The blessing maxes out at 25 points of extra Health and Magicka. |
Eternal Spirit | Temporary Abilities | Meditate on the word of power Feim | While Ethereal, health regeneration is 25% faster. Only one word can be meditated on at a time. |
The Fire Within | Temporary Abilities | Meditate on the word of power Yol | The Fire Breath shout deals 25% more damage. Only one word can be meditated on at a time. |
Force Without Effort | Temporary Abilities | Meditate on the word of power Fus | The player staggers foes 25% more and receive staggers 25% less. Only one word can be meditated on at a time. |