Hello! So I did a quick search on this, but I couldn't find a thread answering my question. Sorry if it's been asked already.

Anyway, my question is does raw skill level have an effect on your ability to do things? I'm specifically asking about magic, but I'm curious as to the rest of them too.

For instance, if I have 100 levels in destruction but didn't take any perks in the destruction tree, would my spells be the same strength as when I had 15 levels in destruction and no perks? Or will the skill itself actually do something like raise the damage of destruction spells?

Also curious about the rest of the magic tress, like alteration, ect. Does just having a higher skill level actually mean anything if I don't bother taking any perks in it?

Thanks for anyone taking the time to answer!

I've heard that your spells don't really get more (or much more powerful) as you level up, but someone who's played a mage will surely be along soon.

they decrease in cost but never in power, a horrible ridiculous flaw in game design.

I could be wrong, but I believe the higher the skill level, the lower the magika cost. It would seem that perks are the only thing to really increase the power/usability of your magic.

here is a link to UESP talking about magic: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Magic_Overview

The more I hear about the way magic works in this game the less I want to run a Mage.

It is my understanding that the level you have in something doesnt mean much. If you have 100 in Dest. but took no perks, you would have the potential to use all the spells, but they are not as potent since you dont have the perks to increase damage of either, fire frost or shock. Plus they would cost an ungodly amount of magic if you dont have enchantments.

Say if you have 100 skill in One Hand weapons, but took no perks. The damage you would be doing with your sword would be about the same as it was when you started the game. Since you have no perks to increase the damage.

Or if you have 100 in sneak, but took no perks. Well youd be sneaking as good with 100 as you did with 15 or 25 skill level.

Oblivion seemed to be all about the skill level. 100 in something meant you were a Master and were kicking butt. Skyrim seems more about the perks. Without the perks the skill level doesnt matter much.

You definitely do more damage with weapons as your skill goes up, even if you do not take the +damage ranked perks (same for armor skills). UESP.net says 0.5% added damage per skill-up in one-handed. I haven't done any specific testing, but the damage shown in the inventory does creep up as your skill goes up. It certainly won't be as much damage as if you add in perks, but it's not like the damage difference between 15 and 50 skill is nothing. Early game it probably feels like there isn't much difference because the base weapon damge is lower.

Sneak is harder to measure, but my first character only took the extra sneak-attack damage perks (and one point in the initial ranked perk, of course), but staying hidden or running around a corner and 're-sneaking' was definitely easier at 80 than it was at 20 skill. I wasn't using muffle enchanted items, either.

It depends from skill to skill.

Regarding sneak, you are almost invisible once you hit the 70-mark. The perks rather contribute to anything you want to do while sneaking, like moving, attacking and the like.

Lockpicking get′s easier with higher skill. Same with pickpocketing and speach.

Weapons do 0,5% more damage each skill point. Casting just becomes cheaper. Once You hit 100, spells cost You 40% of their base cost.

Smithing skills behave similary, but it work in steps. For example every 17 skill points in smithing you are able to improve your equipment one more quality category. I′m not sure if this is true for alchemy and enchanting as well, but you are definitely getting better with higher skills.

I don't know about anyone else, but no matter what perks you have for Conjuration, Bound Weapons decrease in quality as you raise your skill in Conjuration and they get even more useless as your level goes up. Same with Destruction, no matter how many perks you waste on improving it, it gets weaker as you level up....which is stupid as hell.

i will be talking one handed at first. the first perk does more damage per hit. you can take this perk 5 times. my girl has taken it 3 times and it makes a difference.

as to destruction the perks lower costs or increase damage from specific types of spells like fire or frost

i imagine that the other magic trees are similiar.

although if you use a staff as a high level mage the staff has more charges then at lower level.

Logically if you selected the five perks to get 100% improvement the effect will be double.
For alchemy and enchanting you can get an extra 25% bonus on specified effects.
with no perks your capabilities would be 44% of fully perked.
Remember that an +40% bonus will give an higher result at skill 100 than skill 20.

Weapons typically only give 100% raw damage increase but perks add power attacks and other effects.

Typically a 100 skill nets you a 40% increase in effectiveness. For spells, this is realized as a 40% cost decrease (but no damage boost). Perks, of course, can double damage/halve cost, and are much more significant.

BTW, you didn't ask but: NPCs get +150% damage from 100 skill.

PS: Effects are multiplied. So +40% (skill) +100% (perks) becomes +180% (x2.8) damage.

This

spell cost and magicka are practically pointless due the existance of foritfy decreasing spell cost and stacking up to 100% making that entire school free to cast. The way it should of worked is skill level gives reduced cost(albiet less) as well as scaling magic damage. Why does a novice mageling at level 1 with 15 destruction do as much damage with a flames spell as a level 81 arch-mage with 100 skill in destruction - assuming no difference in perks.

This issue is even worse considering the vast majority of monsters how zero or extremely low armor rating (less than 120) where as a huge amount of dangerous enemies have 25-45 magic resistance, effectively cutting down your magical dps by half.
some examples:

foresworn 25-45 (breton+innate class modifier)
enemy spellcasters: 25-55 (!!!) (breton enemy casters will make you cry)