Skyrim:Illusion

Skill: Illusion
Specialization: Magic

Illusion is one of the five schools of magic in Skyrim. Illusion magic focuses on changing the perception of the world from the viewpoint of the target. Increasing this skill reduces magicka cost when casting Illusion spells. Historical information about the School of Illusion is provided in the lore article. The Illusion skill tree has a total of 13 perks, requiring a total of 13 perk points to fill.

In-game Description: The School of Illusion involves manipulating the mind of the enemy. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Fear, Calm, and Invisibility.

Summary

Illusion contains a range of spells that play with your enemies' minds. While no Illusion spell does any direct damage, spells and perks in this school are a good supplement to Stealth-focused characters, and make stealthy play more viable for mages.

Main Effects

Progressively more powerful spells with each of these effects are available as your character develops. Some of these effects can also be produced using Alchemy and enchantments.

• Pacify spells cause the affected to lose the will to fight unless attacked first.
• Fear spells cause the affected to run away.
• Frenzy spells cause the affected to lose allegiance and attack anyone they see.
• Rally spells increase the stats of the affected and prevent them from fleeing.
• Muffle helps the caster to sneak around by reducing the noise made by walking.
• Invisibility removes the ability to be detected by sight, but unlike sneaking, wears off immediately if the caster touches something, casts a spell or uses a weapon.

Usage

Illusion is a formidable tool against almost every enemy in Skyrim, dragons being a notable exception. It can be used on its own as a combat tool, but it is best used in conjunction with another skill to take on enemies. The only effect that serves as a combat tool is Frenzy, which can be used to cause groups of enemies to decimate themselves. You can simply avoid combat with Fear, or Pacify, which has a "bonus" effect of allowing you to converse and trade with otherwise hostile NPCs. Invisibility and Muffle can allow you to bypass enemies, even in full daylight, and set-up Sneak kills. Followers can be rallied to provide better protection at times too. Quiet Casting also affects shouts, so you will be able to shout and stay undetected.

Drawbacks to the skill are that undead, daedra, and dwarven automatons are unaffected by Illusion spells until the perk Master of the Mind is activated. Enemies will still hear the casting and constant effect of the sneak-oriented spells Muffle and Invisibility, without the Quiet Casting perk.

Skill Perks

Novice Illusion

Animage

Kindred Mage

Quiet Casting

Apprentice Illusion

Adept Illusion

Expert Illusion

Master Illusion

Hypnotic Gaze

Aspect of Terror

Rage

Master of the Mind

Illusion Dual Casting

Illusion Perk Tree

Perk	Description	ID	Skill Req.	Perk Req.
Novice Illusion	Cast Novice level Illusion spells for half magicka.	000f2ca9
Animage	Illusion spells now work on higher level animals (+8 levels to the spell maximum).	000581e1	20 Illusion	Novice Illusion
Kindred Mage	All Illusion spells work on higher level people (+10 levels to the spell maximum).	000581e2	40 Illusion	Animage
Quiet Casting	All spells you cast from any school of magic are silent to others (all shouts are also silent).	000581fd	50 Illusion	Kindred Mage
Apprentice Illusion	Cast Apprentice level Illusion spells for half magicka.	000c44c3	25 Illusion	Novice Illusion
Adept Illusion	Cast Adept level Illusion spells for half magicka.	000c44c4	50 Illusion	Apprentice Illusion
Expert Illusion	Cast Expert level Illusion spells for half magicka.	000c44c5	75 Illusion	Adept Illusion
Master Illusion	Cast Master level Illusion spells for half magicka.	000c44c6	100 Illusion	Expert Illusion
Hypnotic Gaze	Calm spells now work on higher level opponents (+8 levels to spell maximum). Cumulative with Kindred Mage and Animage.	00059b77	30 Illusion	Novice Illusion
Aspect of Terror	Fear spells work on higher level opponents (+10 levels to spell maximum). Cumulative with Kindred Mage and Animage. NOTE: This perk also gives an extra 10 points of damage to fire spells, as they also utilize a fear effect.	00059b78	50 Illusion	Hypnotic Gaze
Rage	Frenzy spells work on higher level opponents (+12 levels to spell maximum). Cumulative with Kindred Mage and Animage.	000c44b5	70 Illusion	Aspect of Terror
Master of the Mind	Illusion spells work on undead, daedra and automatons.	00059b76	90 Illusion	Quiet Casting or Rage
Illusion Dual Casting	Dual casting an Illusion spell overcharges the effects into an even more powerful version. This slightly more than doubles the maximum level of any level-based Illusion spell. Level adjustments from Animage or Kindred Mage or Hypnotic Gaze or Aspect of Terror or Rage are applied before the doubling effect (2.2 times the spell power for 2.8 times the magicka cost).	000153d0	20 Illusion	Novice Illusion

Spells

	Spell Name (IDs)	Skill Level	Tome	Magicka Base Cost	Description and Effect Details	Where to Get
	Clairvoyance Spell ID: 00021143 Tome ID: 000ff7d1	10 Novice	50	002525/s	Shows the path to the current goal: Clairvoyance, for 1 sec	Can be purchased from: Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Nelacar, Riverwood Trader, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah Can be found in Embershard Mine
	Courage Spell ID: 0004dee8 Tome ID: 0009e2ad	10 Novice	46	003939	Target won't flee for 60 seconds and gets some extra health and stamina: Courage, 100 pts for 60 secs Fortify Health, 25 pts for 60 secs Fortify Stamina, 25 pts for 60 secs	Can be purchased from: Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Nelacar, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah Can be found in Treva's Watch
	Fury Spell ID: 0004deeb Tome ID: 0009e2ac	10 Novice	43	006767	Creatures and people up to level 6 will attack anything nearby for 30 seconds: Fury, 6 pts for 30 secs Courage Secondary, 6 pts for 30 secs	Altmer start with this spell Can be purchased from: Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Nelacar, Riverwood Trader, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah
	Calm Spell ID: 0004dee9 Tome ID: 000a2711	225 Appren.	91	0146146	Creatures and people up to level 9 won't fight for 30 seconds: Calm, 9 pts for 30 secs	Can be purchased from: Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah
	Fear Spell ID: 0004deea Tome ID: 000a2712	225 Appren.	80	0153153	Creatures and people up to level 9 flee from combat for 30 seconds: Fear, 9 pts for 30 secs	Can be purchased from: Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah
	Muffle Spell ID: 0008f3eb Tome ID: 000a270f	225 Appren.	88	0144144	You move more quietly for 180 seconds: Muffle, 1 pt for 180 secs	Can be purchased from: Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah
	Frenzy Spell ID: 0004deee Tome ID: 000a2714	350 Adept	330	0209209	Creatures and people up to level 14 will attack anyone nearby for 60 seconds: Frenzy, 14 pts for 60 secs in 15 ft Rally Secondary, 14 pts for 60 secs in 15 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren, Sybille Stentor
	Rally Spell ID: 0004deec Tome ID: 000a2713	350 Adept	300	0113113	Targets won't flee for 60 seconds and get extra health and stamina: Rally, 100 pts for 60 secs in 15 ft Fortify Health, 25 pts for 60 secs in 15 ft Fortify Stamina, 25 pts for 60 secs in 15 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren, Sybille Stentor
	Invisibility Spell ID: 00027eb6 Tome ID: 000a2715	475 Expert	625	0334334	Caster is invisible for 30 seconds. Activating an object or attacking will break the spell: Invisibility, for 30 secs	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren
	Pacify Spell ID: 0004deed Tome ID: 000a2717	475 Expert	610	0290290	Creatures and people up to level 20 won't fight for 60 seconds: Pacify, 20 pts for 60 secs in 15 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren
	Rout Spell ID: 0004deef Tome ID: 000a2718	475 Expert	653	0316316	Creatures and people up to level 20 flee from combat for 30 seconds: Rout, 20 pts for 30 secs in 15 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren
	Call to Arms Spell ID: 0007e8dd Tome ID: 000a271b	5100 Master	1150	0655655	Targets have improved combat skills, health and stamina for 10 minutes: Fortify Marksman, 25 pts for 600 secs in 100 ft Fortify One-handed, 25 pts for 600 secs in 100 ft Fortify Two-handed, 25 pts for 600 secs in 100 ft Fortify Health, 25 pts for 600 secs in 100 ft Fortify Stamina, 25 pts for 600 secs in 100 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren (only after Illusion Ritual Spell has been completed)
	Harmony Spell ID: 0007e8db Tome ID: 000a271a	5100 Master	1220	10521052	Creatures and people up to level 25 nearby won't fight for 60 seconds: Harmony, 25 pts for 60 secs in 250 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren (only after Illusion Ritual Spell has been completed)
	Hysteria Spell ID: 0007e8de Tome ID: 000a271c	5100 Master	1240	0866866	Creatures and people up to level 25 flee from combat for 60 seconds: Hysteria, 25 pts for 60 secs in 250 ft	Reward for quest Illusion Ritual Spell
	Mayhem Spell ID: 0007e8da Tome ID: 000a2719	5100 Master	1250	0990990	Creatures and people up to level 25 will attack anyone nearby for 60 seconds: Mayhem, 25 pts for 60 secs in 250 ft Rally Secondary, 25 pts for 60 secs in 250 ft	Can be purchased from: Drevis Neloren (only after Illusion Ritual Spell has been completed)
	Vision of the Tenth Eye Spell ID: 000b323e No Tome	0N/A	N/A	00000	See what others cannot. Vision of the Tenth Eye, for 30 secs	Not available for purchase Given by Drevis Neloren as part of the quest Illusion Ritual Spell

• Muffle can make players almost invisible to Falmer as they rely on hearing and are blind

Spell List Notes

• 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.

Magical Effects

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

• Clairvoyance
• Rally
• Fear
• Frenzy
• Pacify
• Invisibility
• Muffle

Skill Increases

Character Creation

The following races have an initial skill bonus to Illusion:

• +10 bonus: Altmer
• +5 bonus: Breton, Dunmer

Trainers

• Atub in Largashbur (Expert)
• Drevis Neloren in the College of Winterhold (Master)

Skill Books

• 2920, Sun's Dawn, v2
• Before the Ages of Man
• The Black Arts On Trial
• Incident at Necrom
• Mystery of Talara, Part 4

Free Skill Boosts

• +1 Illusion reward from Sybille Stentor for completing the quest Kill the Vampire.
• +1 Illusion reward (+1 every magic skill) from Pantea Ateia (Bards College) for completing the quest Pantea's Flute.
• +5 Illusion (+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

• Casting higher level spells gives generally faster skill increases (Novice<Apprentice<Adept<Expert<Master).
• It is possible to reduce or even completely eliminate the magicka cost of spells by stacking Fortify Illusion enchanting effects, which is very helpful for Illusion training.
• Casting Muffle on yourself repeatedly will level up your Illusion quickly, even if there are no enemies around.
• Casting Harmony repeatedly in a heavily populated area, such as Whiterun, will level up your Illusion significantly.
• Casting Courage or Rally on NPCs is effective and is not considered a crime. Courage uses less magicka, but Rally will level the skill more quickly. However, both can rarely turn a few otherwise non-hostile NPCs hostile, such as Vigilants of Stendarr and Revelers.
• If using Rally to level, try to hit as many people as possible in one shot. Casting it into groups of people will raise the skill much faster than hitting singular targets.
• Simultaneously casting Rout and Pacify (one assigned to each hand) on an enemy will rapidly level Illusion. Although the effects of Pacify should keep the target stationary, this is best done in a small enclosed area to ensure that you can hit the target each time the spells are cast.

Dialogue

When the player reaches a high level in this skill, NPCs (particularly guards) will sometimes comment: "You're the one that casts those illusions. Impressive."

Notes

• Clairvoyance and Invisibility can be cast as long as there are people around (not counting your follower or other allies) to gain experience in the skill. All other spells must be cast on a valid target to gain experience, although this does not have to be an enemy.
• Casting Invisibility without the Quiet Casting perk may allow your character to still be detected. Enemies will investigate the sound, and may find you even if you have moved from where you originally cast the spell.
• Vampires are not affected by Illusion spells unless you have Master of the Mind. Even then, they are not counted as people (Kindred Mage has no effect) but as undead.
• The Necromage perk in the Restoration tree helps with making Illusion spells work against higher level undead.
• Falmer can be affected by Illusion spells without Master of the Mind, but are not affected by Kindred Mage or Animage.
• Dragons are completely immune to Illusion spells of any kind, regardless of skill level or perks.
• Vision of the Tenth Eye can be used as a kind of Night Eye spell with some effectiveness if needed, which does not appear to increase the ability of NPCs to detect you and allows for vision beyond the limited range of Candlelight and Magelight, though its long cast time and glare from light sources can be considerable downsides.
• Master Illusion spells do not benefit from Dual Casting, however they can still overcome the level 50+ cap with the relevant perks and by using Fortify Illusion potions.
• Mayhem will often cause items in the vicinity to shift around and become unable to retrieved.
• Quiet Casting also affects shouts.

Bugs

• Aspect of Terror adds extra damage to fire spells.
  • This bug is fixed by version 1.2 of the Unofficial Skyrim Patch.