DESTRUCTION LEVELING

[The Irregular]

ok i just made a new character and i want it to be completely destruction magic. So i went through bleak falls to get the dragonstone and i only used destruction magic and i only got to level 2. is that normal or could it be a mod i have (only reason I got to level 2 is probably some destruction books i found)

[Amplifier]

No, it's normal. Destruction is one of the slowest skills to level

[Mormacil]

Also the most underpowered damagedealer in the game. Melee, archery and Conjuration have higher damange output. In vanilla the only real viable way is to focus on reducing casting cost enchantments.

[Amplifier]

Bethesda definitely messed up with Destruction. It's like they just gave up halfway.
Just get a mod to scale destruction to your levelling (0.5% per level is preferable) and you're good to go.
You can also use a destruction damage enchantment mod for a higher boost.

[The Irregular]

ty i was going to take of all mods to see what was happening (what a waste of time that wouldve been) yeh i got blanced magic. Im going to look around if there is a mod that makes it quicker to level

[Grathagis]

Use higher powered spells, instead of flames. Better spells means faster leveling.

[The Irregular]

yeh but i only got 100 mana
and the highest level is appretice i have been using thay

[Brandon]

There is always this too: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23698/?

[istvan_v]

At apprentice level, the frostbite spell has the best XP/magicka ratio, while the lightning rune gains the most experience with a single casting. Use enchanted apparel to reduce the cost of the spells; with really good enchanting, they can basically be made free to cast. Do not forget to activate the mage stone, and sleep to be well rested for slightly faster leveling.

In any case, destruction levels slowly, so this may be the skill you want to spend the 5 times of training per level on. It can be trained in Winterhold. You can get enough money for the training with alchemy and enchanting, which will also be useful as well.

To maximize the effectiveness of destruction:
- use novice level spells in short bursts. They have better damage/magicka ratio this way
- unlock the augmented damage perks when they become available, and other useful perks like disintegration for shock spells
- use enchanted apparel for lower (or even no) magicka cost
- craft fortify destruction potions (e.g. from glowing mushroom and nightshade), they can increase the damage by a factor of more than 2.6 for one minute in the best case

The dual casting perk slightly increases the damage compared to simply casting the spell with two hands, but the magicka cost is increased more, so it is actually less efficient and maybe slower as well. But with the staggering effect from the impact perk, it makes a single opponent easy to kill.

[Talonmaster]

Mods like Forgotten Magic Redone and Apocalypse Spells really help make Destruction more fun and rewarding. I do have to recommend against focusing on one school of magic though because it will make you overpowered.