Archery is a skill under the Warrior archetype in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Raising the skill will allow you to do more damage with bows, while also unlocking powerful perks to augment your use of a bow and arrow. Archery is important to many character types in Skyrim, namely for the purpose of slaying Dragons before the Dragonrend shout is learned. This will allow a melee to weaken dragons and all other foes until they are within melee range. That said, archery also stands very well on its own as a combat skill, especially when coupled with Sneak.
With Sneak, Archers can get sneak attack bonuses from afar. Given the range, they'll often get multiple sneak attacks in before the enemy detects them. This is especially true if you find a good sniping position and have a high level with perks spent in Sneaking. You should always start combat with a good sneak attack. With perk points in Archery, you can slow time to allow yourself more time to aim as the enemy approaches, at the cost of some stamina. This style of play is even better with Poisons. Arrows can also be used to distract enemies when fired from stealth, perhaps separating a couple from a larger pack. When they find the arrow, they'll come looking for you! Bows can be upgraded with Smithing, so that skill also complements Archery. Further damage boosts and effects can be acquired by using Enchanting. Arrows are neither upgraded nor enchanted.
Raising the Archery Skill
The skill experience you receive when using Archery is determined by the base damage of the bow and arrows you are using. Simply deal damage to enemies to raise the skill. If you want to power level it, you can use Shadowmere from the Dark Brotherhood quest line, or fire at any high health opponent.
Using Skill trainers can help keep your Archery well ahead of the growing power of opponents you face. Faendal in Riverwood can train you up to level 50, while only Thieves' Guild members can access Niruin who is a Master trainer. All players can go to Angi's Camp to train against targets and gain a total of six levels in Archery. There's also an Archery skill book to be found there.
Bows and Arrows
Here I'll list the base damage of each type of Bow and Arrow. Arrow values are largely irrelevant to this guide, so I'll leave those out. To avoid making two tables with sparse info, I'll simply list the arrow damage value for each type of material. I'm starting with the craftable bows, as Long and Hunting bows are just for getting started. There are several types of inferior arrow not listed as well. Note that all arrows have 0 weight. The Dawnguard DLC allows you to craft arrows from Smithing with firewood and an ingot of the chosen material. A Dragonbone Bow can also be made. An entirely new weapon type is also added, crossbows - which I'll add to this guide at a later time.
Aiming Tip
Don't bother with headshots, as they do nothing and are more likely to miss due to your smaller target. Aim for the chest. If a target is far away, aim slightly above them as the arrow will drop a bit. Arrows go in an upward arc, that drops with distance.
The distance an arrow will fly, as well as the amount of damage it does is determined by draw. At full draw, a bow can stagger an opponent which is incredibly helpful. Firing rapidly does less damage but can also finish a weakened opponent much faster, preventing them from getting another attack in.
Bound Bow and Mystic Binding
Bound Bows do great damage, but require conjuration level 50 for the spell to become available in shops. With the Mystic Binding perk, they go from 18 to 24 damage, the highest unmodified damage value for a bow. While using one, you receive 100 daedric arrows which do 24 damage. However, given Bows can be improved with Smithing, the spell falls in power as soon as you're able to upgrade a Daedric or Ebony bow. Firing with a Bound Bow raises the archery skill, while casting it near enemies grants conjuration experience. You can work in sneak experience if you also perform a sneak attack. Doing so might require the Quiet Casting perk from Illusion, unless you've got your bow conjured ahead of time. The duration is only 120 seconds but may be boosted with Conjuration dual casting.
SKYRIM ARCHERY SKILL PERKS
If you're going to play an Archer, you'll probably want every perk in this tree.
Overdraw (5 ranks 20% Each)
(level 0/20/40/60/80 Archery Skill required)
The Overdraw Perk raises damage 20% for each point, fully doubling all archery damage by the fifth point. It's an essential if you want to maximize damage and truly master archery.
Eagle Eye
(level 30 Archery Skill required)
Hold block with an arrow drawn zooms your view. Helps with sniping at range, and as a prerequisite for Steady Hand's time slowing effect. You'll definitely want this, especially if you're going for sneak attacks. It'll allow you to start combat from a greater distance, delaying the time until you're detected. This costs stamina. More stamina is more time zoomed.
Steady Hand (2 Ranks 25% each)
(level 40 Archery Skill required)
Slows time by 25%/50% when you've zoomed in with Eagle Eye. While this will affect you as well, it can help you as a player to get more shots off in a set amount of time. With time slowed, the time spent aiming is reduced so you can let loose your arrow and prepare another shot. It's better to zoom partially through your draw to waste less stamina. Remember your target will be moving at normal speed relative to the arrow, so you'll still need to fire slightly ahead of moving targets.
Power Shot
(level 50 Archery Skill required)
Arrows stagger all but the largest foes 50% of the time. A great perk! Arrows need to be fully drawn to stagger opponents. This can really cripple an advancing melee attacker, preventing you from being hit at all. Obviously dragons, giants, and mammoths are far too large to be affected by this.
Quick Shot
(level 70 Archery Skill required)
Draw a bow 30% faster. Paired with the prerequisite power shot, this is an amazing perk. Be sure to get Critical Shot as well. You'll be able to fire more arrows and see more crits in a given period of time. A must-have for all Archers.
Critical Shot (3 Ranks)
(level 30/60/90 Archery Skill required)
Gives a 10% critical hit chance on first point, 15% crit with 25% extra damage on second, and 20% crit with 50% damage boost on third. It's a great perk, and will raise your overall damage per second. In bigger fights, it can make all the difference, as you could one-shot something charging at you and move to a second target. Targets like Dragons will be brought down much easier once you have three ranks in this, as you are firing many arrows at them and likely to see this go off a number of times in a fight.
Hunter's Discipline
(level 50 Archery Skill required)
Recover twice as many arrows from dead bodies. A good perk if you're a dedicated archer, as you must be using many arrows to really want to invest a perk point here. It's also a prerequisite for Ranger. This'll keep you from running out of ammunition in a long dungeon, and save you money on arrows in the long term. Arrows are craftable with Dawnguard, but those valuable materials can be used elsewhere.
Ranger
(level 60 Archery Skill required)
Move faster with bow drawn. Helps with kiting, so you can be moving backward while an attacker comes at you. Strafing is assisted as well, helping you dodge arrows when going head to head with a ranged enemy.
Bullseye
(level 100 Archery Skill required)
15% chance of paralyzing a target for 3 seconds. Ahh, nothing quite like watching an enemy fall limp to the ground, helpless and vulnerable to attack. Bullseye tops off a wonderful archery perk set, making Archery my favorite damage dealing option in Skyrim. Combine this perk with the paralysis enchantment on a bow, and you'll have a nearly 50% chance of enemies being paralyzed each time you fire.
Skyrim's One Handed skill determines your damage with 1H maces, swords, axes, and daggers. The skill features numerous perks that can modify how weapons and power attacks behave. You can choose to dual wield, or go with a sword/shield or a sword/spell combination. This guide will teach you several trainer locations, perk assessments, and a list of all crafted weapons and their damage values.
One Handed Leveling
Every level gained in the One Handed skill will increase your damage done with these weapons just a little. You can use the Fortify One Handed enchantment, or potions which accomplish similar, to boost this beyond level 100.
XP gained per swing is based on the weapon's base damage. You won't want to use any other boosts when trying to train the skill, as your targets will die faster causing you to lose potential XP. Daggers are best because of their attack speed. It's even better if you can dual wield two daggers.
During the Dark Brotherhood quest line, you receive the horse Shadowmere, who can be beaten mercilessly to train 1H weapons. There are other options, such as training by hitting your followers (limited use) or using Conjuration to summon familiars and daedra to beat upon. Ultimately, your best bet is to simply play Skyrim, get into combat, utilize the various trainers here and there as you level, and keep your damage coming from the 1H skill so that it can stay ahead of the growing power of your opponents.
One Handed Trainers
At Dushnikh Yal, an Orc Stronghold Southeast of Markarth, you can find Chief Burguk, who is the master trainer for One Handed. Amren, who has a house in Whiterun, can train you up to level 50. To access an expert trainer, you'd need to join the Companions, but Chief Burguk is more than enough.
ONE HANDED WEAPON TYPES OF SKYRIM
There are four classes of 1H weapon to choose from in Skyrim. Each has its advantages which come from perks, and distinct speed and weight values that determine how fast the weapon can be swung, and how much stamina is drained when using a power attack. A weapon's chance to stagger an opponent is determined by its class (of the four listed below), not the item's specific weight.
Daggers
Daggers certainly play nicely with dual wield, although there aren't many perks that affect them directly here. They deal the highest sneak attack damage (with a Sneak perk) and do not alert opponents with noise as other weapon classes do. They are the fastest weapon type, and due to their low weight do not stagger opponents.
Swords
Swords are slower than daggers, but still offer decent speed compared to the other types. The reach is much larger, and swords carry a decent chance to stagger opponents with power attacks.
War Axes
Slightly slower than swords, dealing larger damage and taking more stamina to power attack. They'll stagger a bit more often than swords thanks to their increased heft.
Maces
The heaviest, and slowest of the one handed weapon types, has the largest chance to stagger an opponent but will cost the most stamina doing so. With the perk for these, you can crush armored enemies easily, giving them a higher damage output late in the game.
CRAFTABLE WEAPONS LIST
This table shows the weight and damage value for each type of weapon, in all types of material available in Skyrim. Dragonbone weapons require Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC be installed. You'll also need to be level 100 in Smithing and take the Dragon Armor perk.
ONE HANDED WEAPON SKILL PERKS
It's unlikely you'd ever want to invest a full 21 points into this skill. Armsman will boost general damage, while the specializations come in handy when you're using your favorite weapon type. Of the three, Maces have the best perk overall. Even if I'd invested some points into Maces, a good sword could still come along and see use for a while. By the end of the game, I'd be smithing and enchanting a Mace to maximize damage.
Armsman (5 ranks 20% Each) (level 0/20/40/60/80 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) If One Handed weapons are to be your primary source of damage, you'll want all five ranks.
Bladesman (3 Ranks, 10/15/20% Crit Chance for Swords) (level 30/60/90 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) This really isn't very good, as the critical damage doesn't seem to do what you'd expect with very high damage weapons late in the game. Early on, it's quite OK, but this diminishing value certainly affects my opinion on investing three points into this perk.
Bone Breaker (3 Ranks, ignoring 25% armor each for Maces) (level 30/60/90 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) Much better, but only against armored foes. It will do next to nothing (or nothing at all) against enemy casters and the like. However, most other enemies have armor and this will effectively raise your DPS more than the other perks here. Maces also stagger the most, but will require stamina for you to power attack many times in a long fight.
Hack and Slash (3 Ranks, adding more bleeding damage to War Axes) (level 30/60/90 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) This is perhaps better for Bladesman for reliability. War Axes are already good weapons, this just boosts the damage you can do by a bit. After a swing, you'll watch the opponent's health bleed away a little. Sometimes this makes up for one more hit in combat, letting you switch to another target while the original bleeds to death.
Dual Flurry (2 Ranks, 20/35% faster Dual Wield Attacks) (level 30/50 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) If you want to dual wield, you already know you need this. After all, you can't block, so whirling your blades through enemies as fast as possible is essential to survival.
Dual Savagery (level 70 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) Bigger, more powerful Dual Wield power attacks. Makes a huge boost to your damage, so long as your Dragonborn has the stamina to keep them swinging.
Fighting Stance (level 20 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) Reduces the stamina cost of power attacks by 25%. Helps you in the long fight.
Critical Charge (level 50 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) Sprint forward, then hold down the attack button (work on your timing) to charge at the enemy and deal a big critical hit. A great way to close the distance and smash your way into melee combat.
Savage Strike (level 50 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) Standing Power attacks (the normal kind) do 25% bonus damage and have a chance to decapitate enemies. This is one means of unlocking the decapitation killing blow animation, which works on humanoids.
Paralyzing Strike (level 100 One-Handed Weapon Skill required) Tap backward, and hold the attack button to deal a backward power attack (good when enemy is advancing on you) that has a 25% chance to instantly paralyze the opponent for several seconds. Incredibly powerful when you can pull it off, which may take some practice to get the timing right.
Lockpicking, or the art of entering a building uninvited. This is a skill that is largely reliant on your experience with it as a player. Nobody in Skyrim likes you picking locks, and followers with morals will remind you that �you don�t belong here when you use your skill to trespass. Doing this, you can sneak about and steal all the valuables from a home or shop as long as you don't mind breaking the law. Lockpicking is also used often in dungeons to unlock expert or master doors to get to that lovely treasure chest inside.
Benefits of Training Lockpicking
There is no lock you cannot open, aside from quest doors, even if you have a lowly level of 20 Lockpicking. You just need plenty of Lockpicks which many vendors will sell, especially Tonilia in the Thieves Guild. When you encounter a Master lock, have plenty of picks and gradually probe areas around the lock. You'll eventually find a spot that will turn. I use the rust marks and stains around the lock to help me remember where I last tried. Raising your Lockpicking skill seems to widen the sweet spot, enabling you to easier open locks.
The Lockpicking tree is not very practical to sink points into because, lets be honest, with a little practice all you need to have is a level 100 lockpicking skill to open Master locks with little effort. Out of every skill in Skyrim, investing in this skill is, without doubt, the most wasteful way to spend your points AND time training.You need to get to level 100 in it if you want to get your character to level 81, but this will happen naturally as you explore. Harder locks will be harder for you (the player) to pick but you should have plenty of lockpicks to work with. You'll also get much better at it as you play. If you are strong in Alchemy and Enchanting, Lockpicking augmentations can be placed on gear, allowing you to easier pick a lock.
Raising the Lockpicking Skill
You can do some speed training by breaking 10.000 lockpicks on a Master level lock right from the start, and you will raise in skill and level pretty quickly. But this is tedious and for most people boring. A better strategy is to just head to the Guardian Stones and choose the Thief stone for +20% experience in thief skills. You'll then level naturally as you explore dungeons and pick locks. You can also sneak around at night and unlock doors in cities. If you are a member of the Thieves' Guild you can find six empty treasure chests that respawn solely for the purpose of training lockpicking.
There are trainers around who can teach you to pick locks. For those in the Thieves' Guild, Vex can be found in the Ragged Flagon in Riften and is a Master Lockpicking Trainer. One Expert trainer accessible to everyone is Majhad, a Khajiit who travels between Windhelm and Solitude with one of the two Khajiit Caravans in Skyrim.
A LOCKPICKING EXAMPLE
Here's a visual example of picking a master lock with level 45 Lockpicking skill.
I was lucky with this one, and found a point near the sweet spot at the very top of the lock. If it had been elsewhere, I would've probed around the lock in 1/8 segments from left to right. I first nudge the pick left a very tiny bit and find the pick breaks. Right it is.
Very, very close. I make note of where it was before I turned based on the rust spots around the lock. A little attempt to the left and...
Success. The treasure is mine and my Lockpicking actually went from 45-47 because it was near level 46 when I picked the lock. I was also under the effect of the Thief Stone, giving +20% experience. So as you can see, picking master locks gives a load of experience, and each successful attempt makes the next easier.
SKYRIM LOCKPICKING SKILL PERKS
To fill up this tree to the max the Dragonborn needs to invest 11 perk points, but depending on your build you may not need them all. Remember, you only want to invest points in this tree if you yourself have trouble with Skyrim's Lockpicking system. If I were you, I'd pratice before wasting points.
Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert and Master Lock Perks
(level 0/25/50/75/100 Lockpicking Skill required) Each of these perks makes the corresponding lock type easier to pick. It's not particularly helpful. The only locks that are actually difficult to open are Expert and Master, and even that depends on your Lockpicking level and player experience.
Quick Hands
(level 40 Lockpicking Skill required) Able to pick locks without being noticed. That means you can stand in front of a door surrounded by NPCs and still be able to pick the lock without anyone paying attention. This seems practical, but you need to invest 3 perks to get it and be level 40 in the skill. Aside from that, lockpicking is best done during the night - the moment you walk in and somebody sees you they will warn you to get out before they call the guards. This is a bad perk choice.
Wax Key
(level 50 Lockpicking Skill required)
Automatically gives you a copy of the of the picked locks key if it has one. Keep in mind that at level 100 in Thieves Guild armor you wont need this perk as it will only take you a few tries to pick a Master Level lock thanks to your character's skill, armor bonuses, and your own experience as a player. This perk will cost you five perk points to unlock as well, which is quite a lot. You'll also waste opportunities to raise your level naturally when you use a wax key instead of picking another lock.
Golden Touch
(level 60 Lockpicking Skill required) Find more gold in chests. Probably the best of this tree, but know that you are going to get rich in Skyrim very fast and very easy, with or without being willing to steal. This perk will cost you 4 perk points to get and requires level 60 Lockpicking to unlock.
Treasure Hunter
(
level 70 Lockpicking Skill required) 50% greater chance of finding special treasure. Finding special treasure means you are more likely to find flawless rubies and enchanted items. Since gold is easy to come by in this game, the perk is not very helpful. If you finish the No Stones Unturned quest to complete the Crown of Barenziah you will be blessed with the infinite duration power 'Prowlers Profit', which increases the rate at which the Dragonborn finds special gems inside any container, even Draugr bodies. This is a better effect than what the Treasure Hunter perk has to offer because it wont cost you a single perk to unlock. But then, you do have to collect all 24 stones...
Locksmith
(level 80 Lockpicking Skill required) Pick starts close to the opening position. Practical for those hard Master level locks, but is it worth unlocking this perk if it takes 5 points in the tree?
Unbreakable
(level 100 Lockpicking Skill required) Lock picks never break. That means with just one in your pocket you can unlock everything in the game and sell every other lock pick you find as you dont need them. This seems practical, and it would be if it lockpicks didn't have a 0 weight value and a gold value of 2 coins each. That aside, during the Thieves Guild Quest line (spoiler alert) you will be given the option to hold on to the Skeleton Key for a while, which can open every lock type.
I know I am repeating myself but with the right outfit and player experience, no lock is that hard to open after a while. Lockpicking without perks provides a healthy level of satisfaction, and you have perk points to spend in other areas in your build.
