The school of Conjuration is one of the most powerful in Skyrim. It allows mages to clear rooms full of enemies without lifting a single finger while they rely on the power of their summons.
This makes it very important for players hoping to create a conjurer build to have the right spells so they can unleash the full potential of this discipline. And that’s exactly why I created this list of the absolute best spells that every conjurer’s arsenal should have.
Keep in mind this list does not include spells found in mods, however powerful they may be. So I’m only considering conjuration spells found in the base game and the DLC packs.
15. Soul Trap
The soul trap spell is an Apprentice-level spell that you can use when battling enemies. It works so that they fill a soul gem if they die within 60 seconds after the spell is cast.
This is not a powerful spell on its own. But it can help keep your enchanted items fully charged if you use it constantly in enemy encounters. Which is a lot easier than it sounds, surprisingly.
You can craft this spell at the Atronach Forge or buy it from Phinis Gestor and Falion.
14. Summon Arvak
Conjurers need to get around just like everyone else, but a strong mage shouldn’t rely on carriages and horses to do so.
A powerful conjurer needs something more. Something to reach the destination, sure, but maybe a little something extra that also strikes fear in the hearts of enemies.
This is where Arvak comes in, because Summon Arvak gives you access to an undead horse straight from the bowels of the Soul Cairn as your faithful mount through your adventures.
The Mistman is an Adept-level spell that summons a floating skeleton to help you fight bad guys along your path.
And while it does not provide you with a huge tactical advantage other than having someone to join the fray with you, it looks really cool to summon. This is basically like a floating skeleton that came straight from anyone’s worst nightmares.
You can find this spell in the Soul Cairn next to Jiub’s Opus, where the seventh page is located, and requires the Dawnguard DLC to get.
12. Dread Zombie
This spell caters to the darker side of a conjurer and adds a bit of necromantic flavor.
It allows you to revive dead people that you’ve encountered in battle and have them fight for you for sixty seconds with whatever skills they were using in battle before they died. Sounds pretty cool right?
This means that you basically have an endless supply of supporters as long as bodies continue dropping. This also gives you all you need to create unstoppable forces that make it so you don’t need to lift a finger to finish a fight.
You can get this Master-level spell by buying it from Phinis Gestor.
11. Banish Daedra
Banish Daedra is a simple Adept-level spell that comes in handy when facing other conjurers.
It gives you the power to send their Daedra summons back to oblivion as many times as you want, while your own summoned creatures prevail on the battlefield to show them why they don’t have what it takes to beat you.
This is a spell that’s great to toy with opponents for a while, as it seems to say: “I’m the only conjurer here, deal with it!”
You can get your hands on this spell either by visiting Broken Oar Grotto and getting it from the chest that opens with Hagar’s Chest Key, or you can buy it from Phinis Gestor and Falion.
10. Bound Sword
One of the ethereal weapons, the Bound Sword spell is useful for conjurers with a taste for going toe to toe with enemies.
This Novice-level weapon summon has an initial power of 9 points that can be upgraded with the Mystic Binding Perk, and it is useful if you are looking to go for a warrior-conjurer build that relies heavily on magic.
You can get this sword fairly early in the game from Falion and Phinis Gestor. Worth giving it a try if you want to play around with conjuration a bit.
9. Conjure Wrathman
A Wrathman is an undead warrior you can summon right out of the Soul Cairn to fight your foes with a spark that comes from necromancy and the ethereal.
The tome to learn how to summon this creature can be found south of Jiub’s Opus, where the fifth page is located.
Note it requires an Expert conjurer to cast, as well as the Dawnguard DLC to gain access to the Soul Cairn in the first place.
8. Flaming Familiar
Every conjurer needs a loyal familiar around. And the Flaming Familiar goes above and beyond the call of duty for its master when summoned.
It appears all covered flames and immediately makes a beeline towards your enemies, exploding upon contact, returning to the ether to wait to be summoned again and again until no enemies are left standing.
Probably the most badass visuals I’ve seen in a while too.
This Apprentice-level tome is granted to the player as a reward after completing quest a scroll for Anska.
7. Dead Thrall
Similar to Dread Zombie, this spell allows you to reanimate a dead body to fight by your side.
But unlike the other spell, this one is for masters only which means it costs more magicka and requires a better knowledge of the conjuration arts.
That said, it also comes with the perk of it being permanent so you can rely on your reanimated companion more directly as it fights with all its might and follows you around everywhere. A walking, talking, never-gonna-leave-your-side zombie… I don’t think I’d wanna fight that.
A great way of letting the scum of Skyrim know you are not a mage to be trifled with, since you can easily end their lives and add them to your entourage.
Phinis Gestor sells this spell tome after completing the Conjuration Ritual Spell quest.
6. Dremora Lord
Now here’s a spell that demands more knowledge of the conjuration arts. Conjure Dremora Lord is an Expert-level spell that gives you the power to call forth from Oblivion one of its most feared creatures, the Dremora Lord, to fight by your side.
You can buy this spell from Phinis Gestor once your level is high enough to handle its power.
I don’t think this is a great choice for everyone just due to the high level and time it takes, but certainly worth looking into if you can level up.
5. Bound Arrow
Bound Arrow lets you conjure a bow and a set of 100 arrows to unleash on your foes.
The arrows have a nice enough starting damage rating of 18 points, and can be upgraded with the Mystic Binding Perk.
The best part of this Adept level spell is that if you happen to run out of the arrows that come with the conjuration, or if you want to use a more powerful set from the start, just equip your desired arrows and they’ll work with the bound bow. If you can mix and match like this, why not?
You can purchase this spell from Falion and Phinis Gestor or find it for free at Fort Amol Prison.
4. Conjure Flame Atronach
This one is sort of the bread and butter of every serious conjurer. A flame Atronach is a slim fire creature that will immediately start attacking all those opposed to you with fireballs.
And while it is an Apprentice spell, it has the potential to deal a lot of damage to your enemies if used correctly.
This flame summon attacks your enemies directly once the spell is cast. But it has another surprise for whoever happens to be around when an unsuspecting enemy delivers the final blow, as it blows up upon death.
It’s sad to see him go but this massive explosion deals a fair amount of fire damage as this creature leaves the realm of the living.
Buy this spell from Falion or Phinis Gestor, or if you’re in the mood for an adventure it can be found in Korvanjund Crypt or crafted in Atronach Forge(as the name suggests).
3. Frost Thrall
This one is essentially a Frost Atronach, but it comes with the added bonus of being permanent.
So this ice cold and heavy golem-like creature is here to fight by your side until it dies. I named mine Steve.
Summoning this creature requires a Master of Conjuration and it is a nice addition to the arsenal of ice-based characters too.
The spell tome becomes available to buy from Phinis Gestor after the quest Conjuration Ritual.
2. Arniel’s Shade
Upon finishing the Arniel’s Endeavor quest, you get the Summon Arniel’s Shade spell. This allows you to honor your commitment to the College Of Winterhold, the place that showed you the ropes and new spells.
Using this conjuration spell you get to have one of its scholars come to aid you in your fierce confrontations against the forces of evil.
This summon is one of the most useful you can find in the game because it costs no magicka to cast and it is invulnerable for the sixty seconds the summon lasts. This makes Arniel’s Shade a partner you definitely want to have when facing tough enemies in large quantities.
1. Conjure Ash Spawn
This is where the beauty of conjuration spells really show their risk and rewards.
Because each time you summon the Ash Spawn, a Heart Stone(which can be obtained from the mines in Solstheim) is taken away from your inventory in order to produce a successful spawn, and if you don’t have a stone to give and you try the spell anyway, the creature you conjure will turn against you.
So you need to pay special attention to your items and be careful you don’t just summon the creature on a whim. That said, this is one of the most powerful conjuration spells you can cast so it’s a must-try if you’re following the mage’s path.
But in some ways this risk is what makes the spell so great. Because it gives you a taste of the dangers of using magic carelessly, which is something every master magician should be aware of.
This spell requires the Dragonborn DLC and you can only buy it from Talvas Fathryon after completing the quest Telvanni Research.
