Skyrim skills and race guide

Dom Sacco, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 10/11/2011

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is finally out after years in the making.
We’ve got a full list of skills and races available to help pick the right character for you and level up effectively.

Skills

• One-handed
• Light armor
• Sneak
• Alteration
• Smithing
• Block
• Heavy Armor
• Lockpicking
• Enchanting
• Alchemy
• Two-Handed
• Speech
• Pickpocket
• Archery
• Illusion
• Conjuration
• Destruction
• Restoration

You get one point per level, but must have the required skill level to pick a perk. For example you’ll only be able to advance your lockpicking if you’ve picked enough locks and your lockpicking has actually increased.
Credit: Reddit
Races

Credit: Unofficial Elder Scrolls Wiki
Who will you be when you play Skyrim? We’re going to be a mage/ranged assassin hybrid.
More Skyrim tips

• How to steal almost anything in Skyrim

Dom Sacco, Senior Editor

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He has almost two decades of experience in journalism, and left Esports News UK in June 2025. As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late '80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He also previously worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation.

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