Killing everything on sight sometimes isn't the best decision. Some RPGs let you talk your way out of situations, but The Elder Scrolls series is more focused on sandbox elements rather than dialogue.

Related: Skyrim: Unique Mage Builds That You Need To Try

Illusion is one of the most versatile schools of magic in Skyrim. It can range from giving quest directions to causing an entire army to fight each other. This school can be used on its own or with another gameplay style, such as stealth archery or even a melee character. This versatility can even make NPCs calm and friendly towards you, letting you walk past entire bandit camps. Here are the best Illusion spells you can use in Skyrim.

Updated November 18th, 2021, by Charles Burgar: Skyrim's Anniversary Edition has recently been released. Now available on three generations of hardware, Skyrim remains one of the most popular RPGs today. For newcomers or veterans to The Elder Scrolls franchise, utilizing a few Illusion spells with your build is a great way to spice up gameplay and give your character some versatility. We've updated this list with more information about each spell and replaced a few entries with better alternatives.

10 Clairvoyance

Skyrim Clairvoyance

Spell Level

Novice

Effect

Draws a path to the next objective.

Magicka Cost

25 per second

Acquisition

Stores and loot

While Illusion spells are typically used for stealthy characters, Clairvoyance can be used on any character. This spell shows a magical line that guides the player to their closest objective.

Its cost is somewhat high at 25 Magicka a second, but the ability to find your way around areas you haven't explored can prove useful. While you can use this with multiple quests active, it will only lead you to the closest quest objective. Veteran Skyrim players won't get much out of this spell, but those new to Skyrim, or RPGs in general, might find Clairvoyance useful.

9 Rally

The-Imperial-Legion-Skyrim

Spell Level

Adept

Effect

Targets won't flee and gain +25 Health and Stamina for 60 seconds.

Magicka Cost

113

Acquisition

Stores and loot

Illusion can do many things, from making enemies terrified to bolstering their confidence. Rally grants a health and stamina buff to those in its radius while also making them immune to fear.

Rally is fantastic if used on companions or a small army of soldiers, and it's particularly useful when doing the Skyrim Civil War questline. The health and stamina bonuses are small at 25 points, but a small bonus is sometimes all you need to turn the tide of battle. Because it affects a small area instead of one target, this is a better choice than Courage in almost every way.

8 Vampire's Seduction

A vampire snarling at the player in Skyrim

Spell Level

Apprentice

Effect

Calms creatures and people up to level 10 for 30 seconds.

Magicka Cost

146

Acquisition

Stage 2 Vampirism

Vampire's Seduction is similar to other calming spells in that it makes enemies less hostile towards the player, ending combat and allowing dialogue. With a level range of 10 or lower, this spell seems worse than most other calming spells.

Related: Skyrim: Vampire Vs. Werewolf - Which Is Better?

What Vampire's Seduction does amazingly well, however, is its ability to let Vampire characters feed on calmed people that are affected by this spell. If you need to lower your Vamparism level before going out into the sunlight, influence a target with Vampire's Seduction and feed on them right there. It is also useful for non-vampires, giving the player time to recover their resources before fighting again.

7 Harmony

Skyrim the greybeards inside high hrothgar

Spell Level

Master

Effect

Creatures and people up to level 25 won't fight for 60 seconds.

Magicka Cost

1,052

Acquisition

Found in the College of Winterhold after obtaining 100 Illusion

Harmony is a Master Illusion spell that prevents affected targets from attacking for a minute. It works on level 25 enemies or lower, making up a large chunk of Skyrim's enemy roster. With certain Illusion perks, you can raise this number much higher to affect just about every enemy in the game.

Forcing enemies to remain calm can be incredibly powerful for certain builds, giving you a large window to deal some damage, steal items, or simply retreat. Keep in mind that this Master spell does take a few seconds to cast, and its versatility is slightly worse than our next entry.

6 Pacify

Skyrim Pacify

Spell Level

Expert

Effect

Creatures and people up to level 20 won't fight for 60 seconds.

Magicka Cost

290

Acquisition

Stores and loot

If you need to prevent NPCs from attacking you, Pacify is the strongest spell you can use. Even though there is a master variant of Pacify, being able to dual-cast Pacify allows it to affect higher-level targets than Harmony—a master variant of this spell.

Pacify works on up to level 20 creatures without perks, preventing any creature or person affected from attacking you. If you are fighting enemies that are too tough but you need to collect a quest item, Pacify can allow you to run through the area with ease and take the item before enemies can retaliate. Its 60-second duration gives you more than enough time to navigate through whatever encounter is giving you trouble.

5 Frenzy

Skyrim Frenzy

Spell Level

Adept

Effect

Creatures and people up to level 14 will attack anyone for 60 seconds.

Magicka Cost

209

Acquisition

Stores and loot

Frenzy provides a solid bit of crowd control and damage in one neat package. Any target that's level 14 or lower will begin to attack their allies when affected by Frenzy. This gives you the perfect opportunity to slip past the carnage or help your confused enemies finish the fight. Frenzied targets can still attack you, but they are much more likely to attack their allies during this spell's duration.

While it can only affect level 14 enemies, Frenzy serves as a powerful tool in the early game for Illusion mages. Once you've leveled up a few times, you can acquire a few perks in your Illusion tree to scale the level range on Frenzy fairly high—allowing it to affect level 30+ targets. Once you're comfortable weaving this spell into your gameplay, nothing will stand a chance.

4 Frenzy Rune

Skyrim Frenzy Rune

Spell Level

Adept

Effect

Creatures and people up to level 20 will attack anyone for 30 seconds.

Magicka Cost

165

Acquisition

Sold by Talvas Fathryon

Ranged characters will find more use with Frenzy Rune than typical fear spells. Frenzy Rune affects enemies up to level 20, lasts 30 seconds, and is a trap you can place on the ground from anywhere. It has a higher level range but a shorter duration.

With a somewhat large Magicka cost of 165, the rune makes up for it with its level 20 range. When you consider perks into the equation, Frenzy Rune can affect level 40 enemies and above. Unless you're trying to influence a Dragon, very few spells can compete with what Frenzy Rune does.

3 Muffle

Skyrim Archer Crouching In Forest

Spell Level

Apprentice

Effect

Move more quietly for 180 seconds.

Magicka Cost

144

Acquisition

Stores and loot

Unless you can find or purchase the rather rare muffle enchantment on boots, your best method of moving quietly is using the Muffle Illusion spell.

Related: Strongest Unique Swords In Skyrim, Ranked

Considered an apprentice spell, Muffle conceals the user's noises related to movement for three minutes. Players who have high Sneak ratings and perks can practically run past enemies without them noticing. While a powerful ability on its own, it makes the user essentially undetectable when combined with Invisibility. You can use this strategy to get close and use Hysteria or Mayhem to cause complete chaos wherever you go.

2 Invisibility

Skyrim character shooting a bow while invisible

Spell Level

Expert

Effect

The caster becomes invisible for 30 seconds. Interacting with objects or attacking breaks the spell.

Magicka Cost

334

Acquisition

Stores and loot

Does this spell need an introduction? Invisibility causes the user to become transparent to anyone who isn't close, allowing them to sneak by any group of enemies with ease.

This spell will break if you attack an enemy, use an object, or generally do anything that has an animation tied to it. The good news is you can use Invisibility to sneak up on targets and get a stealth attack, granting a massive damage multiplier. Combined with a bow, you become an unstoppable force of nature. It wasn't the wind that got their friend, it was your trusty weapon and Invisibility spell.

1 Mayhem

Spell Level

Master

Effect

Creatures and people up to level 25 will attack anyone for 60 seconds.

Magicka Cost

990

Acquisition

Sold by Drevis Neloren after completing "Illusion Ritual Spell"

Yet another master spell, Mayhem causes nearly all targets up to level 25 to attack everything on sight for 60 seconds. This works on any creature or person, friend or foe.

Unlike Fury, Mayhem covers an absurdly large area. To put it in perspective, casting this at the center of Whiterun will cover almost the entire city, reaching all but the top of Dragonsreach and the entrance to the city. When certain perks are taken, the level range on this spell grows so large that all enemies except Dragons will have to fight anything they see. If you need to clear out a dungeon but are ill-equipped, simply cast Mayhem and the dungeon will clear itself.

Next: Skyrim: How To Get The Blade Of Woe