How to Make Custom Destruction Spells in Oblivion Remastered

In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you can craft your own destruction spells to fit how you play, tweaking damage, range, and effects to wreck enemies your way. You’ll need to unlock the Spell Making Altar at the Arcane University by slogging through some Mages Guild quests. Here’s a complete guide on how to get there and whip up some killer destruction spells, plus tips to make them hit hard without draining your magicka too much.

Step 1: Unlock the Altar of Spellmaking

To start making spells, you gotta get into the Arcane University, which means joining the Mages Guild and doing some legwork.

Join the Mages Guild

Head to any Mages Guild hall (Anvil, Bravil, Bruma, Cheydinhal, Chorrol, Leyawiin, or Skingrad).

Chat with the guild boss and say you want in. Just make sure you’re not wanted by the law, or they’ll shut you out. You’ll start as an Associate and get sent on errands to prove yourself.

Complete the Recommendation Quests

Each of the seven guild halls has a quest you need to finish to get a recommendation. They’re all different, like:

Anvil: Snag a ring from a rogue mage.
Bruma: Track down a missing guild member.
Chorrol: Deliver a book and dodge a nasty trap (ties into “Fingers of the Mountain”). They’re not too tough, but you can tackle them in any order. Save often since some have fights or tricky choices.

Gain Access to the Arcane University

Once you’ve got all seven recommendations, go to the Imperial City and talk to Raminus Polus at the Arcane University (southeast side).

He’ll bump you up to Apprentice and let you into the University, where you’ll find the Spell Making Altar in the Praxographical Center.

Step 2: Prepare for Spell Making

Before you start cooking up spells, make sure you’ve got everything you need.

Know the Effects

You can only use effects from spells you already know. So, if you want a Fire Damage spell, you need something like Flare or Burning Touch in your spellbook.

Destruction effects include

Damage: Fire Damage, Frost Damage, Shock Damage, Drain Health.
Weakness: Weakness to Fire/Frost/Shock/Magic.
Utility: Disintegrate Armor/Weapon, or even Silence (from Mysticism, but it pairs well).

Grab basic spells from shops like Edgar’s Discount Spells in the Imperial City Market or Mages Guild folks.

Have Enough Gold and Magicka

Making spells costs gold, and fancier ones with big damage or AOE will set you back more—anywhere from 100 to over 1000 gold.

Your spell’s magicka cost depends on its power, duration, and range. Make sure you’ve got enough juice to cast it.

Pro tip: Wear gear like the Necromancer’s Amulet or chug potions to boost your magicka.

Level Your Destruction Skill

A higher Destruction skill makes spells cheaper to cast and lets you craft stronger ones. Spam low-cost spells like Flare on weak enemies to level it up.

Skill breakpoints

Novice (0): Basic stuff like Fire Damage or Drain Health.
Apprentice (25): Frost Damage, Shock Damage.
Journeyman (50): Weakness to Fire/Frost/Shock.
Expert (75): Disintegrate Armor/Weapon.
Master (100): Best efficiency, but you don’t need it to make spells.

Step 3: Craft the Custom Destruction Spell

Now that you’re in the Arcane University, here’s how to make your spell. Go to the Praxographical Center (open during the day) and use the Spell Making Altar—it’s a glowing table.

Choose Spell Effects

The altar shows all the effects you know from your spells. Pick destruction ones like Fire Damage, Shock Damage, or Weakness to Fire. You can mix effects (like Fire Damage + Weakness to Fire) if you’ve got the skill and magicka.

Examples:

Single-Target Nuke: Shock Damage 50 pts + Weakness to Shock 100% for 2 sec.
AOE Clear: Frost Damage 30 pts in 15 ft + Weakness to Frost 100% for 3 sec.
Debuff + Damage: Fire Damage 20 pts for 3 sec + Silence 5 sec.

Adjust Parameters

Magnitude: How strong the effect is (e.g., 10 pts vs. 100 pts of damage). Bigger numbers cost more.
Duration: How long it lasts (e.g., 1 sec for a quick hit, 5 sec for damage over time). Longer means pricier.
Area: For AOE spells, set the radius (e.g., 10 ft or 20 ft). Bigger areas jack up the cost.
Range: Pick On Self (not common for destruction), On Touch (cheaper, close-range), or On Target (ranged, costs more).

Tip: Keep duration short (1–3 sec) for quick effects to save magicka. Give it a name like “Fireblast” or “Thunderbolt.” It’s just for fun but helps you keep track.

Check Magicka Cost and Pay Gold. The altar shows the magicka cost. If it’s too high, dial back the magnitude, duration, or AOE. Fork over the gold to lock in the spell, and it’ll pop into your spellbook.

Tips for Crafting Effective Destruction Spells

Stack Weakness Effects: Throw in Weakness to Fire/Frost/Shock (100% for 2–3 sec) with matching damage to make later casts hit way harder. Cast it a few times, and the damage stacks like crazy.
Keep It Balanced: Super strong spells (like 100 pts Shock Damage) eat magicka. Try medium power (20–50 pts) with Weakness effects to get big damage without going broke on magicka.
AOE for Groups: Spells with 10–20 ft AOE are awesome for wiping out mobs. Toss in a summoned creature to keep enemies busy while you blast.
Touch vs. Target: On Touch spells are cheaper and great for sneaky or up-close fighters. On Target is better for pure mages staying back.
Drain Health Trick: Drain Health 100 pts for 1 sec is cheap and can drop weaker enemies in one shot.
Mix Magic Schools: Add Silence (Mysticism) or Burden (Alteration) to shut down spellcasters or pin enemies in place while you burn them.
Test and Fix: Try your spell in a fight, and if it’s too weak or costly, go back to the altar and tweak it.