This page details an overview of the Restoration skill in Skyrim, including recommended perks, leveling tips, and where to find Restoration trainers.

View Full-size

Restoration, Skyrim.

Restoration Overview¶

Your Restoration Skill Level determines the Magicka cost of your Restoration spells. Restoration spells consist of healing magic, ward spells, and spells designed to combat undead enemies. In the Restoration tree you’ll find perks to increase the amount of healing gained from Restoration spells, perks that increase Magicka regeneration rates, give you a once per day respite from near-death experiences and perks that cause healing spells to restore Stamina.

Restoration is the best way to heal your character in Skyrim. Potions have weight and require the tedious aspect of collecting resources and creating the potions. Why go through all that work when you can just expend Magicka to do the same thing? Especially when you can craft armor to make the entire process free. Free, unlimited healing is a good thing, and the crafting skills can give it to you.

The Restoration tree, then, despite having spells tied to it which are very good for pretty much every character, can safely be ignored once you acquire Magicka-reducing equipment. There are, however, a few good perks worth getting even if you go this route.

Recommended Perks¶

As usual, all the perks that reduce your Magicka cost can be ignored, save Novice Restoration, which is a mandatory perk expenditure to get at the better stuff. At the very least you’re going to want to get the Regeneration perk, which increases the amount of healing you get from your Restoration spells by 50%. A few other perks might interest you, like Respite, which allows your healing spells to also restore Stamina. Other than those two perks, you might also consider getting Recovery en route to Avoid Death, which will give you a free pass from death once per day. Not necessary, but nice.

Leveling Tips¶

Restoration levels slowly. It’s not as bad as it was in Oblivion, but there’s a good chance it’ll be one of the last skills you get to 100. The way to level? Heal. Which means you need to be hurt. The more you heal, the more powerful spell you cast, the faster you’ll level. Despite that, the most mindless way to level up is to simply strap on some armor improved by your crafting skill (the higher Armor Rating the better) which negates the Magicka cost of Restoration spells. Once done, find a helpful Mammoth, provoke it, and let it hit you. While it smacks you around, dual cast the basic healing spell: Healing. Weigh down your keys and let your Light Armor, Heavy Armor and Restoration skills level up. The armor skills level up faster than Restoration will, so be sure to turn those skills legendary when necessary. Considering how slowly Restoration itself levels up, it’s not a skill you should really use to grind, but the armor skills are one of the best ways to level, and Restoration is just along for the ride.

Restoration Trainer Locations¶