Quick Links
Items, Buffs, and Trainers
Speedy Strategies
In The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Restoration is the school of magic that covers healing spells, protection wards, and turning undead. It isn't very useful outside of combat, but during a fight, it can be downright essential.
Unfortunately, the combat focus of Restoration makes it difficult to practice and improve in peaceful towns and friendly homes. However, Skyrim has a few exploits players can use to improve Restoration in a hurry and without having to find a dangerous enemy to fight in the process. All it takes is a little money and a few buffs to get started.
RELATED: Skyrim: Everything You Need To Know About Restoration Magic
Items, Buffs, and Trainers
The main person to know when boosting Restoration fast is Colette Marence. The College of Winterhold has specialists for every school of magic, and Colette is the specialist for Restoration. She's the only merchant in the game to sell regular Adept and Expert-level Restoration spells, although players need to reach 40 and then 65 skills with Restoration to unlock this inventory.
Colette's inventory also includes Robes of Restoration, which both increase Magicka regeneration and decrease Restoration spell costs. This list can go up to Master Robes of Regeneration, depending on the player's level. On top of all that, Colette gives players the quest "Restoration Ritual Spell," which unlocks Master Restoration spells once players have 90 skill points.
Finally, Colette is a Restoration trainer, although she's not the best trainer in the game. Here's the full list:
- Aphia Velothi, a former Temple priestess living in Raven Rock (Dragonborn expansion, up to 50)
- Keeper Carcette, leader of the Vigilants of Stendarr south of Dawnstar (up to 75)
- Colette Marence, Restoration professor in the College of Winterhold (up to 75)
- Danica Pure-Spring, priestess of Kynareth in Whiterun (must complete "The Blessings of Nature," up to 100)
- Florentius Baenius, recruitable member of the Dawnguard (up to 100)
Players can also start the game with extra Restoration skills by choosing an Imperial for +10 or a High Elf, Argonian, or Breton for +5.
Players can increase their Restoration experience gain by activating the Mage Stone for 20 percent to all magic skills, the Lover Stone for 15 percent to all skills, or by sleeping in a bed in the same house as the player's spouse for another 15 percent. Players of Skyrim Special Edition can stack all three by equipping the Aetherial Crown from the Dawnguard expansion to get both Standing Stone bonuses and then sleeping for 8 hours with a spouse.
RELATED: Skyrim’s Schools of Magic, Ranked From Worst To Best
Speedy Strategies
In Skyrim, all Restoration healing spells appear to increase the Restoration experience based on how many health points they restore. In other words, if players cast Close Wounds to heal 5 health, they'll get much less experience than if they healed the full 100 health. High-level healing spells are more efficient than low-level healing spells, but it doesn't matter unless players can find a consistent source of damage.
One source players can find in most towns is a forge. Standing on a forge will deal a small amount of fire damage, and players can take this damage repeatedly by jumping on the forge or walking across the damage point in the middle of the fire. Curiously, this method also slowly trains Destruction.
Another consistent source of damage is up by High Hrothgar. If players try to walk to the Throat of the World without using the Clear Skies Shout, the whipping winds will consistently deal frost damage. This is less useful to players who can resist frost damage but more useful to players who resist fire damage.
However, for players who have it, the best source of consistent damage is the spell Equilibrium. Players can find the Equilibrium spell tome in Labyrinthian, which only opens up during one of the last parts of the College of Winterhold quest line. Players can find the tome between the second and third times Morokei speaks in a room guarded by a lightning rune.
The Alteration spell Equilibrium drains the caster's health and converts it into magicka. It doesn't increase Alteration very fast, but players can cast Equilibrium with one hand and healing spells with the other. With the right set of items and a strong enough Restoration spell, players can regenerate more magicka than they need, and so training Restoration becomes as easy as standing in place while hitting both attack buttons.
RELATED:
Another way to boost Restoration is by using a Ward spell. Players get more experience from casting Wards than from maintaining them, so find a harmless low-level enemy and cast a Ward in 1-second bursts to improve Restoration. However, the experience gain from this tactic drops off at around 65 skill points.
A third option is to use spells like Heal Other and Grand Heal to restore the health of NPCs. Once players have finished the Civil War quest line, they can find a basem*nt room in either the Blue Palace in Solitude or the Palace of the Kings in Windhelm full of deposed Jarls. These are all "essential NPCs" that Skyrim won't allow to die, and so players can cast the Illusion spells Fury or Frenzy into the crowd to cause them to attack each other. None of them can die, so players can cast healing spells into the mix for as long as they keep fighting.
Finally, players can use Turn Undead spells on their own undead minions to improve Restoration. Several Creation Club DLCs include low-level undead Conjuration spells, but without them, players will need Conjure Boneman from the Soul Cairn (Dawnguard DLC) or Raise Zombie and a fresh animal or humanoid body. A created or conjured undead will never attack the player, but it's better to use this tactic in an enclosed space when possible since the undead may try to run away.
Overall, the best technique is Equilibrium plus a healing spell. It's not the most interesting way to train Restoration, but it is both fast and easy. Simply put something else on in the background, and the Dragonborn will have 100 Restoration in no time.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: 7 Games That Need To Be Completed Twice
