Wards are restoration spells in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. When held up, they negate some spell and physical damage but do not block it completely if it is a powerful attack.

Wards act like magic shields. They provide some defense against magic damage, while also boosting armor by 40-80 points, depending on the type of ward. The cast button needs to be held for this spell to function, meaning it functions like a traditional shield (not a good choice for offensive mages).

List of Ward spellsEdit

• Lesser Ward
• Steadfast Ward
• Greater Ward

Ward PerksEdit

• Ward Absorb, upgrades wards to absorb 25% of enemy magicka from spells.
• Combined with the The Atronach Stone or Dragonskin and Atronach perk this allows 100% magicka absorption.

Spell tome locationsEdit

• If Lesser Ward has not been learned before joining The College of Winterhold, Tolfdir provides one free of charge if the Dragonborn participates in his Ward lesson.
• Colette Marence in the Hall of Countenance sells Ward Spell Tomes, depending on the player's Restoration level.

StrategyEdit

• For players interested in being pure mage characters, defense and armor are indeed serious concerns.
• Enemy mages frequently use Ward spells. If possible, attempt to break the ward through large amounts of burst damage. Otherwise, switch to using physical attacks, or defend until they run out of magicka.
• Powers and Shouts are types of magic. Wards can even handle dragon breath, to a certain degree.
• Magic effects without direct damage (Disarm and Unrelenting Force) are negated while a ward is active.
• Players should consider the benefits and drawbacks of using a Ward versus a Shield for a given situation. The general rule is that shields are better against physical attacks, while Wards are better against magic. Of course, one could simply use the Spellbreaker shield, to get the best of both worlds.
• Wards override a soul trap enchantment on a weapon. Meaning killing someone with a ward still active nets no soul.
• If a Ward is used while an actual shield is also equipped the player will block with both at the same time even if only the ward button is pressed.