Staves are a type of Weapon in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Staves are special magical tools that can be equipped in either hand and used to cast their enchantments which have a plethora of effects depending on the type of Staff used. Staves do not belong to any of the standard weapon Perk and Skill trees, but rather, they draw from the five Schools of Magic and the efficiency of Staff's enchantment is boosted by the player's skill in the corresponding school.
- See the Weapons page for an overview of Weapon Mechanics pertaining to Staves.
- See the Enchanting page for details on various Enchantments that can be found on Staves.
- See the Combat page for an indepth look at the combat mechanics and other gameplay features.
The Best Staves in Skyrim
The following is a short list of some of the best Staves in Skyrim:
- Miraak's Staff - Summons a clutch of tentacles on the ground which stagger opponents constantly and poisons any that enter the area of effect.
- Skull of Corruption - A Daedric Artifact that blasts opponents for 20 points of damage. This damage can be increased to 50 if the staff is charged by collecting the dreams of sleeping NPCs. Blasts from this Staff can hit multiple targets at once, making it highly valuable for crowd clearing.
- Sanguine Rose - A Daedric Artifact that does not deal damage directly, but rather, it summons a powerful Dremora ally to fight alongside the wielder for 60 seconds. Dremora summoned via this Staff have a chance to drop a mighty Greatsword of Scorching upon death which is highly valuable for players who have invested in the Two-Handed skill.
- Wabbajack - A Daedric Artifact that casts a completely random effect on its target. While the randomness can sometimes lead to opponents gaining the upperhand, the Wabbajack has a plethora of effects that deal a significant amount of damage that ignores any and all types of resistances and immunity. It can also transform opponents into a variety of items or creatures, from harmless to ferocious but weak. If nothing else, it certainly provides some amusement in combat.
- Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson - Casts Lightning Bolt, dealing 25 points of Shock damage and then double the amount in Magicka damage. This staff casts its spells extremely quickly compared to most other staves.
- Eye of Melka - Casts Fireball, dealing 40 points of Fire damage. This is one of the easiest staves to obtain and can be very powerful for the early game.
Skyrim Staff Tips
Staves are useful tools for casting spells without the use of Magicka. They have varying characteristics that make them unique:
- Unlike Spells powered by Magicka, Staves have a limited amount of charges. They can be refilled by using Soul Gems.
- By leveling the School of Magic associated with a Staff, one can reduce the charge consumption of a Staff's enchantment. Consumption can further be reduced by using the corresponding Fortify enchantment on pieces of Armor, (e.g., Fortify Restoration). With a high enough skill level in a particular school and the appropriate enchantments, it is possible to reach 100% reduction on charge consumption, allowing you to use a Staff indefinitely without the need for recharging.
- Staves can be dual-wielded or used in tandem with a One-Handed weapon or Shields.
- Most Staves have effects that are a variation of an existing Magic Spell. Some may be weaker or stronger than the spell variant.
- Most Staves belonging to a given school will share the same model, with a few exceptions.
- Many Staves can be crafted with the Dragonborn DLC installed. This technically involves purchasing an unenchanted version of a staff of a given school and then enchanting it with effects, but unlike Enchanting, it does not require you to have learned an Enchantment beforehand. Instead, the process uses Heart Stones to "craft" Staves with a chosen effect.
All Staves in Skyrim
Quick Search of All Skyrim Staves:
Click the header to sort the table.
| Name | Magic School | Weight | Damage | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Staff of Magelight |
Alteration | 8 | 0 | Ball of light that lasts 60 seconds and sticks where it strikes. |
Staff of Paralysis |
Alteration | 8 | 0 | Targets that fail to resist are paralyzed for 10 seconds. |
 Sild's Staff |
Conjuration | 8 | 17 | Summons a Frost Atronach for 10 seconds wherever the caster is pointing. |
Staff of Banishing |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Weaker summoned Daedra are sent back to Oblivion. |
Staff of Daedric Command |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Powerful summoned and raised creatures are put under your control. |
Staff of Dread Zombies |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Reanimate a very powerful dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Expulsion |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Powerful summoned Daedra Creatures are sent back to Oblivion. |
Staff of Reanimation |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Reanimate a weak dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Revenants |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Reanimate a powerful dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Soul Trapping |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | If the target dies within 60 seconds, fills a Soul Gem. |
Staff of the Familiar |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Summons a familiar for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing. |
Staff of the Flame Atronach |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Summons a Flame Atronach for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing. |
Staff of the Frost Atronach |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Summons a Frost Atronach for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing. |
Staff of the Storm Atronach |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Summons a Storm Atronach for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing. |
Staff of Zombies |
Conjuration | 8 | 0 | Reanimate a very weak dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds. |
 Dragon Priest Staff (Lightning) |
Destruction | 8 | 2 | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a Wall of Lightning that does 50 points of Shock Damage per second. |
 Dragon Priest Staff (Fire) |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a Wall of Fire that does 50 points of Fire Damage per second. |
 Eye of Melka |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A fiery explosion for 40 points of damage in a 15 foot radius. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
Forsworn Staff |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A gout of fire that does 8 points per second. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
 Miraak's Staff |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Sprays writhing tentacles on the ground that stagger and poison foes that enter them. |
Staff of Fireballs |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Fireball creates a fiery explosion causing 40 points of damage in a 15 foot radius, targets on fire take extra damage. |
Staff of Firebolts |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A blast of fire that does 25 points of damage. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
Staff of Flames |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A gout of fire that does 8 points per second. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
Staff of Frostbite |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A blast of cold that does 8 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina. |
Staff of Chain Lightning |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Lightning bolt that does 40 points of shock damage to Health and half to Magicka, then leaps to a new target. |
Staff of Hag's Wrath |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a Wall of Fire that does 50 points of Fire Damage per second. |
Staff of Ice Spikes |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A spike of ice that does 25 points of Frost Damage to Health and Stamina. |
Staff of Ice Storms |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A freezing whirlwind that does 40 points of Frost Damage per second to Health and Stamina. |
Staff of Icy Spear |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A spear of ice that does 60 points of Frost Damage to Health and Stamina. |
Staff of Incineration |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A blast of fire that does 60 points of damage. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
 Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Target takes 25 points of damage, and twice as much Magicka damage. |
Staff of Sparks |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Lightning that does 8 points of Shock Damage to Health and Magicka per second. |
Staff of the Flame Wall |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a Wall of Fire that does 50 points of Fire Damage per second. |
Staff of the Storm Wall |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a Wall of Lightning that does 50 points of Shock Damage per second. |
Staff of Thunderbolts |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | A bolt of lightning that does 60 points of Shock Damage to Health and half that to Magicka. |
 Staff of Magnus |
Destruction | 8 | 0 | Absorb 20 Magicka per second. If the target is out of Magicka, absorb Health instead. |
 Gadnor's Staff of Charming |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 4 will attack anything nearby for 60 seconds |
Halldir's Staff |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Soul Trap target for 60 secs |
Staff of Arcane Authority |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 8 flee from combat for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Calm |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 8 won't fight for 30 seconds. |
Staff of Courage |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Target won't flee for 60 seconds and gets some extra health and stamina. |
Staff of Fear |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 8 flee from combat for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Frenzy |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 8 will attack anyone nearby for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Fury |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 4 will attack anyone nearby for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Inspiration |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Targets won't flee for 60 seconds and get extra health and stamina. |
Staff of Tandil |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 12 won't fight for 60 seconds. |
Staff of Vanquishment |
Illusion | 8 | 0 | Creatures and people up to level 12 won't fight for 60 seconds. |
Grand Staff of Repulsion |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | All affected undead up to level 8 flee for 30 seconds. |
Grand Staff of Turning |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | Undead up to level 12 flee for 30 seconds. |
Minor Staff of Turning |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | Undead up to level 4 flee for 30 seconds. |
Staff of Mending |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | Heals the target for 45 points, but not undead, atronachs or machines. |
Staff of Repulsion |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | All affected undead up to level 4 flee for 30 seconds. |
Staff of the Healing Hand |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | Heals the target 4 points per second, but not undead, atronachs or machines. |
Staff of Turning |
Restoration | 8 | 0 | Undead up to level 8 flee for 30 seconds. |
 Sanguine Rose |
Conjuration | 10 | 0 | Daedric Artifact |
 Skull of Corruption |
N/A | 10 | 2 | Daedric Artifact |
 Wabbajack |
N/A | 10 | 27 | Daedric Artifact |
