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Elder Scrolls

Thunderbolt is an Expert-level Destruction spell in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Like its cousin, Lightning Bolt, Thunderbolt must be momentarily charged, then flung.

Thunderbolt can be considered an upgraded version of Lightning Bolt as it behaves similarly but with higher damage and approximately 20% more range.


Usefulness[]

  • Casting the spell deals 90 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka when two points of Augmented Shock are spent; 60 points when cast without perks.
  • When dual cast with the Impact perk and Augmented Shock perks or an Elixir of Destruction (+50% damage) it will always stagger an opponent, regardless of the enemy's size or type.
  • With the Expert Destruction perk, this spell costs 195 magicka to cast singly, and more than 580 magicka to cast when dual casting without the perk.
  • Due to this spell's high magicka cost to damage ratio, using it in most situations can be impractical. However, it is possible to enchant several pieces of gear with Fortify Destruction to give oneself a 100% reduction in this spell's magicka cost. When this is done, and with the spell augmented by perks or potions, it becomes perhaps the most useful spell in the entire game for killing dragons. This is because if the spell is augmented properly, it will stagger the dragon every time it is cast. When combined with the Dragonrend shout, using Thunderbolt in this manner can render even a Legendary Dragon completely helpless.
  • Compared to fire or frost, there are fewer enemies that resist shock spells.

Spell tome[]

DestructionSkillBook

Destruction Skill Book

Attributes[]

  • Weight: 1 WeightIcon
  • Value: 750 Gold
  • See Spell Tome for a complete table of spell tomes, their descriptions, and their values.

Acquisition[]

  • Faralda sells this spell once the Dragonborn's Destruction reaches level 65.
  • May be found as random loot at higher levels, higher chances in "boss" chests.
  • High-level hostile mages may have this spell tome in their inventory.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Thunderbolt is one of two Expert-level Destruction spells that when cast have a peal of thunder follow impact, the other is Incinerate.
  • Thalmor Wizards commonly use this spell when at higher levels. However, the mages in random encounter Thalmor hit squads will use this spell even at very low levels (10+).

Appearances[]


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