The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim beginner's guide

Warrior Sign

Archery

Overdraw
Ranks: 1
Effect: Bows do +20% damage per rank in the perk.
Note: This only seems to come into play when you fully draw back the bowstring. So if you’re firing off rapid bow shots then this will really not amount to anything.

Critical Shot
Requisites: Archery 30, Overdraw
Ranks: 3
Effect: Grants a 10% chance of landing a critical hit that does extra damage, +5 per rank.

Eagle Eye
Requisites: Archery 30, Overdraw
Ranks: 1
Effect: Pressing Block while aiming will cause your view to zoom in.
Note: Landing headshots do seem to actually cause extra damage so aim for the face!

Steady Hand
Requisites: Archery 40, Eagle Eye
Ranks: 2
Effect: Zooming in with the bow causes a 25% per rank bullet time slowdown. This works very well in letting you act as a sniper.

Hunter’s Discipline
Requisites: Archery 50, Critical Shot
Ranks: 1
Effect: Recover twice as many arrows from dead bodies.

Power Shot
Requisites: Archery 50, Eagle eye
Ranks: 1
Effect: 50% of the arrows you fire will cause foes to be staggered.
Note: Most of the archery skills are very useful but this one takes the cake. If you zoom in and snipe the crap out of foes then this will let you kill most enemies from range with ease.

Ranger
Requisites: Archery 60, Hunter’s Discipline
Ranks: 1
Effect: Able to move faster with your bow drawn.

Quick Shot
Requisites: Archery 70, Power Shot
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can draw your bow string back 30% faster than normal.

Bullseye
Requisites: Archery 100, Quick Shot, Ranger
Ranks: 1
Effect: 15% chance of paralyzing your targets for a few seconds with every shot.

Block

Shield Wall
Ranks: 5
Effect: Blocking is 20% more effective with a 20% boost per rank in the perk.
Note: This perk increases the amount of damage that your shield will block. Take note though that five ranks doesn’t mean your shield will block 100% of damage, it means your block will be +100% effectiveness (doubly effective). So if you can block 30% of damage it would be upped to 60% at maximum rank.

Deflect Arrows
Requisites: Block 30, Shield Wall
Ranks: 1
Effect: Arrows that hit your shield will inflict no damage to you at all.

Power Bash
Requisites: Block 30, Shield Wall
Ranks: 1
Effect: Able to do a power bash, a stronger version of the shield bash attack.

Quick Reflexes
Requisites: Block 30, Shield Wall
Ranks: 1
Effect: Time slows down if you are blocking during an enemy’s power attack. This gives you a chance to either dodge or shield bash them to stop their maneuver.

Deadly Bash
Requisites: Block 50, Power Bash
Ranks: 1
Effect: Bashing now inflicts five times more damage making it a viable offensive maneuver.

Elemental Protection
Requisites: Block 50, Elemental Protection
Ranks: 1
Effect: Blocking with the shield reduces fire, frost and shock damage by 50%

Block Runner
Requisites: Block 70, Elemental Protection
Ranks: 1
Effect: May now move much faster while your shield is raised.

Disarming Bash
Requisites: Block 70, Deadly Bash
Ranks: 1
Effect: When power bashing there is a chance to disarm your opponents.
Note: Seriously once you have all the bash upgrades your enemies are going to spend their time getting knocked around, being disarmed and just generally miserable.

Shield Charge
Requisites: Block 100, Block Runner, Disarming Bash
Ranks: 1
Effect: Sprinting with your shield raised will knock down targets in your path.

Heavy Armor

Juggernaut
Ranks: 5
Effect: Increases the armor rating of all heavy armors by 20% per rank.

Fists of Steel
Requisites: Heavy Armor 30, Juggernaut
Ranks: 1
Effect: Unarmed attacks with heavy gauntlets inflict their armor rating as extra damage.
Note: This is the only thing related to the Unarmed skill from the older games. So if you want to create an unarmed warrior slap on the heaviest armor possible and start punching people. Otherwise this is a perk you only take to get to the higher-level skills.

Well Fitted
Requisites: Heavy Armor 30, Juggernaut
Ranks: 1
Effect: Gain a 25% armor bonus if wearing a full set of heavy armor.

Cushioned
Requisites: Heavy Armor 50, Fists of Steel
Ranks: 1
Effect: You only take half damage from falling while you’re wearing a full set of heavy armor.

Tower of Strength
Requisites: Heavy Armor 50, Well Fitted
Ranks: 1
Effect: You stagger 50% less of the time when wearing only heavy armor.

Conditioning
Requisites: Heavy Armor 70, Cushioned
Ranks: 1
Effect: Heavy armor no longer weighs anything and doesn’t slow you down at all.

Matching Set
Requisites: Heavy Armor 70, Tower of Strength
Ranks: 1
Effect: Gain an additional 25% armor bonus when wearing a matched set of heavy armor (stacks with Well Fitted).

Reflect Blows
Requisites: Heavy Armor 100, Matching Set
Ranks: 1
Effect: You have a 10% chance to reflect all melee damage back to the enemy while you’re wearing only heavy armor.

One-Handed

Armsman
Ranks: 5
Effect: One-handed weapons inflict 20% more damage per rank in this skill.

Fighting Stance
Requisites: One-Handed 20, Armsman
Ranks: 1
Effect: Power attacks with one-handed weapons cost 20% less stamina.

Bladesman
Requisites: One-Handed 30, Armsman
Ranks: 3
Effect: Attacks with swords cause a critical hit 10% of the time, +5 per rank.

Bone Breaker
Requisites: One-Handed 30, Armsman
Ranks: 3
Effect: Attacks with maces ignore 25% of the target's armor, +25% per rank.

Dual Flurry
Requisites: One-Handed 30, Armsman
Ranks: 2
Effect: Dual-wielding attacks are 20% faster, 25% at rank 2.

Hack and Slash
Requisites: One-Handed 30, Armsman
Ranks: 3
Effect: Attacks with war axes cause bleeding damage, causing more at higher ranks.

Critical Charge
Requisites: One-Handed 50, Fighting Stance
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can now do a power attack while sprinting that does double critical damage.

Savage Strike
Requisites: One-Handed 50, Fighting Stance
Ranks: 1
Effect: Standing power attacks to +25 damage with a chance to decapitate your foes.

Dual Savagery
Requisites: One-Handed 70, Dual Flurry
Ranks: 1
Effect: Dual wielding power attacks do +50% damage.

Paralyzing Strike
Requisites: One-Handed 100, Critical Charge, Savage Strike
Ranks: 1
Effect: Backward power attacks have a 25% chance to paralyze the target.

Smithing

Steel Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Steel armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Dwarven Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 30, Steel Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Dwarven armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Elven Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 30, Steel Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Elven armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Advanced Armors
Requisites: Smithing 50, Elven Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Scaled and Plate armor at forges and improve them twice as much.

Orcish Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 50, Dwarven Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Orcish armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Arcane Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 60, Steel Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can improve magic armor and weapons at forges.

Glass Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 70, Elven Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Glass armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Ebony Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 80, Orcish Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Ebony armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Daedric Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 90, Ebony Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create daedric armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.

Dragon Smithing
Requisites: Smithing 100, Daedric Smithing or Glass Smithing
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can create Dragon armor at forges and improve them twice as much.

Two-Handed

Barbarian
Ranks: 5
Effect: Two-Handed weapons do 20% more damage per rank in this perk.

Champion’s Stance
Requisites: Two-Handed 20, Barbarian
Ranks: 1
Effect: Power attacks with two-handed weapons cost 25% less stamina to use.

Deep Wounds
Requisites: Two-Handed 30, Barbarian
Ranks: 3
Effect: Attacks with greatswords have a 10% chance of doing critical damage, +5% per rank.

Limbsplitter
Requisites: Two-Handed 30, Barbarian
Ranks: 3
Effect: Attacks with battle axes cause bleeding damage, additional ranks increase the damage.

Skull Crusher
Requisites: Two-Handed 30, Barbarian
Ranks: 3
Effect: Attacks with warhammers ignore 25% of a targets’ armor per rank.

Devastating Blow
Requisites: Two-Handed 50, Champion’s Stance
Ranks: 1
Effect: Standing power attacks do +25% damage and have a chance to decapitate the target.

Great Critical Charge
Requisites: Two-Handed 50, Champion’s Stance
Ranks: 1
Effect: Can do a two-handed power attack while sprinting that does double critical damage.

Sweep
Requisites: Two-Handed 70, Devastating Blow, Great Critical Charge
Ranks: 1
Effect: Sideways power attacks with two-handed weapons hit all targets in front of you.

Warmaster
Requisites: Two-Handed 100, Sweep
Ranks: 1
Effect: Backward power attacks have a 25% chance to paralyze the target.