The Best Conjuration Spells in Skyrim (2024)

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Ariana loves playing immersive video games like Cyberpunk 2077, the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and any Assassin's Creed game. She hopes to share her love for games through her writing!

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Conjuration is an interesting school of magic in Skyrim, allowing you to summon creatures and items from the plane of Oblivion. These can help you with everything from combat to exploration, but there are a ton to choose from! To help you out, we’ve put together this guide to the best Conjuration spells in Skyrim. We’ll also be covering Conjuration leveling tips to help you with your perfect build!

10 Best Conjuration Spells in Skyrim, Ranked Least to Most Powerful

Let’s get into our list!

10/10

Soul Trap

Level: Apprentice (Level 25)
Cost: 100 Magicka

Soul Trap allows you to trap the soul of an enemy to later use as enchantment fuel. Casting the spell on an enemy you’ve killed within the last 60 seconds (or pre-casting it) transfers their soul to an empty soul gem in your inventory. Later on, you can use that gem to charge your enchanted weapons. Investing perks into Soul Trap can help trap souls faster and more efficiently.

You can find the Soul Trap spell tome being sold by various court mages, and by the mage Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold. You can also find the spell tome in random boss loot chests around Skyrim.

9/10

Summon Arvak

Level: Apprentice (Level 25)
Cost: 136 Magicka

Summon Arvak is one of Skyrim’s most unique Conjuration spells, allowing you to conjure an undead mount. The spell lasts for 60 seconds before despawning Arvak, unless you are actively riding him. Whether you’re wandering Skyrim or the Soul Cairn, you can summon Arvak whenever you need.

To get this spell, you’ll need to complete the “Find Arvak’s Skull” quest in the Soul Cairn. To access the Soul Cairn, you’ll first need to complete “Chasing Echoes,” which is part of the Dawnguard storyline. Once you’ve done so, you can enter a portal inside Valerica’s study in Castle Volkihar. You will then have to search for Arvak’s skull, which can be found near the entrance of the front gate to the East. Once you complete the quest and help Arvak, you will be able to learn the spell.

8/10

Conjure Flame Atronach

Level: Apprentice (Level 25)
Cost: 150 Magicka

Conjure Flame Atronach allows you to summon a Flame Atronach. The atronach will fight for you for 60 seconds or till they are defeated. You can choose where to cast the Atronach as long as it is within your range.

The Flame Atronach has two types of spells that they use to help you fight enemies. Flame Cloak does 10 points of flame damage to enemies within melee range of your atronach. Fireball does 20 points of flame damage to enemies they hit with it. If the Flame Atronach is defeated, it will explode and cause fire damage to enemies nearby (and you, if you’re too close).

Invest your points into some Conjuration perks that intensify the performance of your Flame Atronach, such as Summoner, Atromancy, and Elemental Potency. These perks have various effects, like increasing the duration or range of the spell.

You can purchase the spell tome from Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold for 300 gold, or from Farengar Secret-Fire in Dragonsreach in Whiterun.

7/10

Conjure Frost Atronach

Level: Adept (Level 50)
Cost: 170 Magicka

Similar to the above spell, Conjure Frost Atronach allows you to summon a Frost Atronach to fight for you. The spell lasts for 60 seconds or until your Atronach is killed. When summoned, your Frost Atronach can only melee attack, but each hit does 10 points of Frost Damage.

Unlike Flame Atronachs, Frost Atronachs are more susceptible to fire damage. That said, they can resist all frost attacks and also have Frost Cloak, which does 8 points of Frost damage to enemies’ Health and Stamina per second. Frost Cloak only works if the target is within melee range. You can Invest points into perks like Elemental Potency and Atromancy to help increase the effectiveness of your Atronach.

You can purchase the Conjure Frost Atronach spell tome from Phinis Gestor after reaching Level 40. He can be found wandering the grounds at the College of Winterhold.

6/10

Conjure Ash Guardian

Level: Expert (Level 75)
Cost: 335 Magicka

Conjure Ash Guardian allows you to summon an Ash Guardian that can protect you and guard that specific space until it is defeated. This spell requires you to have a heart stone in your inventory, or the Ash Guardian will turn hostile and attack you. Heart Stones are found on Solstheim, and can be mined from various ore veins and caves around the island.

To learn the spell, you will have to catch the boat from Windhelm to travel to Solstheim and visit Talvas Fathryon. You will have to complete the quest “From the Ashes,” which can be started by approaching Talvas outside Tel Mithryn. Tel Mithryn can be found east of Raven Rock and Fort Frostmoth. Once you have completed the quest, you have the option to learn the spell from him. You can also purchase the spell from him after completing this quest.

5/10

Conjure Wrathman

Level: Expert (Level 75)
Cost: 301 Magicka

Conjure Wrathman allows you to summon a Wrathman to fight for you for 60 seconds or until they are defeated. A Wrathman is a Draugr that you will come across in the Soul Cairn. The Wrathmen wield battleaxes or greatswords, and are great for close-range combat. Conjure Wrathman is a helpful spell when you are using magic at a distance and need to distract your enemy. You can choose where to cast the Wrathman.

Necromancy is a good perk to invest in if you are using this spell, as it extends the duration from 60 seconds to 120 seconds. The Dark Souls perk adds an extra 100 points of Health to your Wrathman every time he is summoned.

To locate the spell tome, travel to the Soul Cairn. The book can be found in different locations, either near the Reaper’s Lair or sitting on an altar in the Southern area of the Soul Cairn close to the Keeper’s Tower. You can access the Soul Cairn through the portal inside Castle Volkihar, which again requires you to complete the “Chasing Echoes” quest.

4/10

Conjure Dremora Lord

Level: Expert (Level 75)
Cost: 358 Magicka

Conjure Dremora Lord allows you to summon a Dremora Lord to fight for you for 60 seconds or until it is defeated. The Dremora Lord is a good opponent against enemies between Levels 30–45. The Dremora wears Heavy Armor and uses a Daedric Greatsword of Inferno in combat. This can be especially handy for close-range combat when you’re a mage. It’s helpful when you’re in a pinch and overwhelmed by enemies or need extra support during a fight.

To purchase the spell, you have to visit the College of Winterhold and find the mage Phinis Gestor. You can also purchase the spell tome from Talvas in Tel Mithryn on Solstheim. You may also come across this spell tome in boss chests around Skyrim.

3/10

Expel Daedra

Level: Expert (Level 75)
Cost: 215 Magicka

Expel Daedra sends your enemies’ Daedra summons back to Oblivion. This is a useful spell to have when fighting powerful Conjurers, especially when you do not feel like fighting every additional Daedra they summon. There is a chance that Expel Daedra may not work but in this event, the spell does 40 points of damage to your target and staggers them temporarily. You can also continue to cast the spell till the Daedra is banished.

To learn the spell, you will have to purchase it from the mage Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold. He will have the spell available for sale once you reach Level 70 Conjuration.

2/10

Dread Zombie

Level: Expert (Level 75)
Cost: 302 Magicka

The Conjuration spell Dread Zombie is another great spell to have in your inventory. It allows you to revive a dead body of an enemy that has been killed and they will fight for you for 60 seconds or till they are defeated. You can use Dread Zombie on fallen enemies up to Level 30, making it more useful than Reanimate and Revenant. Being able to summon a zombie to help in a fight can be helpful when overwhelmed, especially with higher-level zombies.

If you have the Restoration Perk Necromage, the level of the zombie you can reanimate increases by 25% for all the reanimate spells. You can also get the Necromancy perk to increase the duration of your zombies to 120 seconds instead of 60. Having both of these perks makes Dread Zombie even more useful and will only enhance your experience with it.

You can purchase the Dread Zombie spell tome from Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold. The Dread Zombie spell tome will become available once you have reached Level 70 Conjuration.

1/10

Storm Thrall

Level: Master (Level 100)
Cost: 741 Magicka

Storm Thrall allows you to summon a Storm Atronach that doesn’t despawn unless it is defeated. This spell is better than the Expert-level Storm Atronach, because the Atronach doesn’t disappear after the timer runs out. Storm Atronach uses Destruction spells like Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning to attack enemies. The Storm Atronach is tankier than its Frost and Flame counterparts, making it a great ally to have against stronger enemies.

The perk Master Conjuration is helpful to unlock when using this spell because it reduces the cost of all Master Conjuration spells by 50%. Another great perk to invest in is Elemental Potency, which makes your Atronachs 50% stronger!

Once you reach Master Level Conjuration, you will have to complete the quest “Conjuration Ritual Spell” for Phinis Gestor a mage at the College of Winterhold. He will sell you the Storm Thrall spell tome once you have finished the quest.

Tips for Leveling Conjuration in Skyrim

To help you make the most of these spells, here are some helpful tips for leveling up Conjuration in Skyrim:

You can level up your Conjuration Magic faster by activating The Mages Stone. You will receive a buff that allows you to level up your mage skills 20% faster. You can check out our guide on Standing Stones for more information!
Purchase new Conjuration spells and helpful mage gear from Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold. You can also train with Phinis Gestor to increase your Conjuration skill level. Court Mages and Talvas Fathryon also sell various Conjuration spells you can purchase.
Invest in Conjuration perks that lower the cost of casting Conjuration spells, you will run out of Magicka less frequently.
Perks like Necromancy, Dark Souls, and Twin Souls are some of the most useful Conjuration Magic perks to have. They make playing as a Conjurer much more fun and will make your Conjuration build more powerful.

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We hope you enjoyed this list of the best Conjuration spells in Skyrim. Let us know what Conjuration spells you enjoy using, and check our our newsletter for more gaming news, guides, and reviews!

Happy gaming!

The Best Conjuration Spells in Skyrim (2024)