What? Did you think you were actually going to get some work done today? haha! Well my friend, allow me to...distract you with a comprehensive list of Skyrim's character Abilities and Perks.

The detailed list was compiled by fans who played the game at  Eurogamer Expo 2011 and have put it up on fansite http://theelderscrollsskyrim.com for all to see.

I'll be working my way down the list throughout the day, but a few that stand out for me? Imperials can find more coin and Dark Elves can surround themselves with fire (because Dark Elves are always awesome).

Take a look at the full list for yourself below.

Racial Abilities

- ORCS: Beserker
- REDGUARDS: Adrenaline Rush
- WOOD ELF: Resist poison, resisit disease, command animals
- NORD: Battlecry
- KHAJIIT: Night-eye, claw attacks
- IMPERIAL: Voice of the Emperor, find more coins when looting
- HIGH ELF: Regenerate Magicka more quickly
- DARK ELF: Ancestor’s Wrath (surround self in fire), resist fire
- BRETON: Dragonskin (absorb spells), resist shock
- ARGONIANS: Histskin (regenerate health quickly), resist disease, breathe underwater

Note on racial stats: Each race starts off with different stats.

-Argonians start with 25 in Lockpicking, 20 in Pickpocketing, Sneak, etc…
-Orcs start with 25 in Heavy Armour, 20 in Enchanting, Smithing etc…

Perk Trees

Speech
- Buying and selling price 10% better (5 ranks)
- 10% price buying from opposite sex
- Invest in shops and increase available gold permanently in invested stores
- Master Trader – every merchant in world gains 1000 gold for bartering
- Buy and sell from any merchant regardless of what they normally buy and sell
- Intimidation attempts twice as successful
- Persuasion attempts more likely successful

Alchemy
- Potions 20% stronger (5 ranks)
- Potions for restore health, magicka or stamina are 25% more powerful (maybe ranked)
- Poisons 25% more effective (maybe ranked)
- Poisons last for twice as many hits
- Two ingredients are gathered from plants
- 50% resistance to all poisons
- All negative effects removed from potions and all positive removed from poisons
- 2 effects of an ingredient are revealed when testing it for the first time (instead of just one)

Illusion
- Dual casting overcharges effect for more powerful spell
- Cast Novice spells for 50% less magicka
- Cast Apprentice spells for 50% less magicka
- Cast Adept, Expert, Master etc spells for 50% less magicka (more levels this time around)
- Spells work on higher level animals
- Spells work on higher level people
- All spellcasting (from ANY school) is done silently
- Spells work on undead, daedra and automatons
- Fear spells work on higher level enemies

Conjuration
- Novice for 50% magicka etc (up to Master)
- Dual casting overcharges –> greater spell effect
- Bound weapons do more damage
- Bound weapons cast Soul Trap on target
- Bound weapons banish certain creatures
- Reanimate undead with 100 more health
- Summon 2 Atronachs or reanimated zombies
- Summon Atronachs at twice the distance
- Summoned Atronachs twice as strong

Destruction
- More damage for each school (fire, frost and shock) – ranked
- Novice for 50% magicka etc.
- Shock damage chance to disintegrate targets if their health is under 10%
- Frost damage chance to paralyse targets if health low
- Fire damage chance to make low health enemies flee
- Place runes 5x farther away

Restoration
- Healing spells also restore stamina
- Novice for 50% less magicka etc
- Healing spells do 50% more healing
- Recharging healing spells
- More is recharged with each hit with healing spells (unclear)
- Spells more effective against undead
- Once a day chance to autocast 250HP restoration when health drops low
- Magicka regenerates 25% faster

Alteration
- Novice for 50% less etc
- Alteration spells have greater duration (ranked)
- Absorb 30% magicka that hits you

Enchanting
- Enchants are 20% stronger (ranked)
- Enchanted armour 25% stronger
- “Soul gems provide extra magicka for recharging” – again, dodgy recording but that’s what I heard, even if it doesn’t make much sense
- Death blows to creatures but not people trap souls for weapon recharge
- Health, magicka and stamina enchants stronger
- Extra effect on already-enchanted weapon can be applied
- Shock, Frost and Fire enchants 25% stronger (individual perks for each element)

Heavy Armour
- Increase armour rating 20% (5 ranks)
- Unarmed attacks with heavy armour gauntlets – damage increased by gauntlets’ armour rating
- Half fall damage if all in heavy armour
- Heavy armour weighs nothing and doesn’t slow you at all
- Additional 25% armour if in matching set
- 25% armour bonus if all in heavy armour (not necessarily matching)
- 50% less stagger if all in heavy armour
- 10% damage reflected back to enemy if all in heavy armour

2-handed weapons
- 2h weapons do 20% more damage (5 ranks)
- Attacks with warhammers ignore 25% armour (ranked)
- Attacks with battleaxes do extra bleeding damage (ranked)
- Attacks with greatswords do extra critical damage (ranked)
- Power attacks cost 25% less stamina
- Standing power attacks do 25% bonus damage, chance to decapitate
- Sprinting power attacks do double (critical) damage
- Sideways power attacks hit all targets
- Backwards power attacks have 25% chance of paralysis

Archery
- Bows do 25% more damage
- Zoom in
- Zooming slows time
- 10% crit chance
- Move faster with drawn bow
- Recover twice as many arrows from dead bodies
- 50% chance of paralysing for few seconds
- Draw bow 30% faster

Sneak
- 20% harder to detect (ranked)
- Sneak attacks do 6x damage with 1h weapons
- Sneak attacks with bows do 3x damage
- Sneak attacks with daggers do 15x damage (end perk on skill tree)
- Noise from armour reduced 50%
- No longer activate pressure plates
- Sprinting while sneaking performs silent forward roll
- Running does not affect detection chance
- Crouching can make hostile enemies lose sight of you and search for a target

 

Comments

  • Avatar
    Bob Webb
    12 years, 6 months ago

    "10% price buying from opposite sex" ?
    Speaking from experience, it'll probably be a 10% increase.

  • Avatar
    mgs2master2
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Luckily i have no interest in skyrim, but i do appreciate a good read. this may be informative to those who are interested in the game.

  • Avatar
    LionEaterJordan
    12 years, 6 months ago

    That's not all the perks. The list only has 12 of the 18 skill trees.

  • Avatar
    XLD50X
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Can't get enough Skyrim info, the more I get the more I crave it

  • Avatar
    s1yfox
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Looks like I will definitely be an argonian....hell yeah!

  • Avatar
    joetm
    12 years, 6 months ago

    well, 2 more months :(

  • Avatar
    RedAmarillo131
    12 years, 6 months ago

    I think im going to go breton rather than the usual dark elf if the magic is pretty good. Still want that melee/magic balance but might have to choose melee over magic.

  • Avatar
    TheFlameLurker
    12 years, 6 months ago

    I see myself going Breton since it's usually the vanilla race I have the most success with. When the mods start pouring in though...

  • Avatar
    Razlo TPD
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Was hoping for a list of the Dragonwords too but i think that's just my excitement abusing my anticipation.

    Nice list, thanks! :)

  • Avatar
    Minyme
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Zooming slows time with archery? Bows just got 5X more useful.

  • Avatar
    LadyLovelace
    12 years, 6 months ago

    I still don't know what race to play! Need more stat info. I played a Redguard in Oblivion... I'm considering Redguard, Breton, or Nord. Decisions!

  • Avatar
    Comradebearjew
    12 years, 6 months ago

    I can't wait for Skyrim!

  • Avatar
    Dellago
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Hrrm, as a Nord who plans to be sneaky n shit a war cry doesnt sound too useful. Ah well.

  • Avatar
    Axerty
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Wait, automatons??? Robots?!?!

  • Avatar
    Eric
    12 years, 6 months ago

    "Histskin-Regenerate health quickly"
    Wat.

  • Avatar
    JoeTheMighty
    12 years, 6 months ago

    Automatons are dwarven machines & if their active could be the dwarves arent really extict their hidding in skyrim somewere.. when it comes to the races tho im thinking High Elf for players that are planning on using alot of spells.. imperials seem to be the most usefull in the long run tho.. you'll end up with alot of extra gold to buy a cool house & weapons & supplies with and you could have just as much magic as other races anyway.. Never really felt like playing as a khajiit but using claw attacks instead of fist fighting would be very fun.. you could ambush them and jump out clawing them apart & use a fire spell in your other hand to burn their wounds shut! Khajiit would make a vicious close-quarters war wizard/thief.. since there is animals in skyrim to control such as sabertoothed cats, bear and wooly mammoths being a wood elf could be really fun to.. In my opinion bethesda has done great at balancing everything out.. no matter what race you choose you can level up whatever skills you like but races still have slight perks to give them an advantage