Summary
- Staves in Skyrim serve as powerful tools for mages, ranging from generic shortcuts to accessing spells to legendary items with unique effects.
- S Tier staves are the best in Skyrim, with origins in Daedra or gods, and their effects make them highly valuable in both gameplay and lore. The iconic Wabbajack is in this category, as is the Staff of Magnus.
- There are no truly bad staves in the game, as even C Tier staves like the Staff of Dread Zombies offer high-level Conjuration spells without leveling up.
Staves traditionally serve as badges of office for mages in The Elder Scrolls, but in practical terms they do so much more for any Dragonborn build thanks to the variety of staves on offer. The staves in Skyrim vary from legendary items with unique and powerful effects, to more generic staves that essentially serve as shortcuts to accessing some of the most powerful spells in Skyrim.
Some of the staves in Skyrim have links to the divine and have effects that correspond accordingly, while others are more mundane and can perform only the most basic spells. All staves need to be charged using Soul Gems, and so using Azura's Star or the Black Star and an item enchanted with Soul Capture is recommended when using any of these staves.
S Tier
These staves are the best in Skyrim: they're legendary and iconic items that were created by, or for, gods. Most of them have their origins in the Daedra, either as artifacts or were created with their influence, but the god of magic makes an appearance. In terms of gameplay, they either carry out their legendary status through damage dealt, or the effect they bestow is so unique that every player knows it. Many of the staves in this section have appeared in more than one game in The Elder Scrolls, beyond Skyrim.
Staff of Magnus - This staff's effect of draining magicka at 25 points per second until the victim has run out of Magicka, then switching to Health. Its potential to control the god of magic, Magnus himself, makes this one of the most powerful staves in Skyrim not only for gameplay, but in Tamriel in terms of lore. The Staff of Magnus is only obtainable as a part of the College of Winterhold storyline.
Miraak's Staff - Looted from the First Dragonborn, Miraak's Staff sprays tentacles on the ground that poisons foes. This is one of the few items in Skyrim that allow for tactical gameplay, as the tentacles persist for several seconds and allow the player to block off entry points, or force enemies to bottleneck.
Sanguine Rose - One of the coveted Daedric artifacts, this time from Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Debauchery. The Sanguine Rose has gotten an upgrade since Oblivion, and now summons a leveled Daedric Lord to assist the Dragonborn in battle. Aside from behaving as cannon fodder, the conjured Daedric Lords actually pack a punch, the quest to get the Sanguine Rose is one of the most fun in the game, and the staff is stunning as a collector's piece for any Dragonborn.
The Wabbajack - The sheer unpredictability of the Wabbajack injects some of the fun of the Shivering Isles into Skyrim. Though the Wabbajack may be more of a hindrance than a help at times, there are few items in Skyrim more iconic than the staff of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. The Wabbajack grants a random effect at anything it's directed at, from completely healing the target, to turning it into a dremora, to turning it into a pile of gold or a sweet roll ready to be eaten.
A Tier
These staves are legendary weapons and are named, but aren't quite useful enough in gameplay to get to S Tier. Nonetheless, they're all useful in combat, or worth acquiring for achievements.
Staff of Incineration - Not a unique staff, but one that comes with an incredibly powerful Destruction spell. Like all other staves with the same effects as Destruction magic, its charge is reduced if the Dragonborn has a high Destruction skill and the correct perks unlocked. This staff can be looted or bought from vendors at higher levels, but it can also be crafted at Neloth's staff-enchanter in Solthseim with 4 Heart Stones and 1 Unenchanted Destruction Staff.
Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson - One of the best things about this staff is its high firing rate. Combine with its 25 points of damage and twice as much Magicka damage makes for a formidable staff.
Staff of Corruption - The artifact of the Daedric Prince Vaermina, the Staff of Corruption starts off with an unimpressive 20 points of damage that increases to 50 points if the dreams of sleeping people are absorbed. The best place to do this is in the College of Winterhold, where many of the inhabitants sleep in a single area thanks to the dormitory.
B Tier
Sometimes a staff can tip the scales in battle, and these are the ones that could make all the difference. They're not legendary items associated with the divine, but they get the job done.
Eye of Melka - Granted to the Dragonborn by one of the few friendly hagravens in Skyrim, the Eye of Melka is a staff that emulates the Destruction spell Fireball. It fires an explosion that deals 40 points of damage in an area, and targets already on fire take extra damage.
Staff of Expulsion- Daedra can become pesky enemies on the battlefield, especially at higher levels where they become some of the most powerful enemies in Skyrim. The Staff of Expulsion solves this problem by banishing them back to the planes of the Oblivion from whence they came.
C Tier
Rather than leveling the Dragonborn's Conjuration to 100, one of these staves will do the trick. These perform high level Conjuration spells without the hours of practice.
Staff of the Storm Atronach - A low Conjuration skill is no problem with this staff in hand as it conjures a Storm Atronach to fight for the Dragonborn, though a higher Conjuration skill does reduce the charge spent on the staff. Storm Atronachs are very helpful in battle and can help out as damage dealers or as distractions.
Staff of Dread Zombies - Using this staff on a dead body will reanimate it to fight for the Dragonborn. Dread Zombies are some of the most powerful undead in Skyrim and can be used on more powerful enemies rather than the lower level goons that early necromancy spells are limited to.
Staff of the Frost Atronach - This staff works exactly like the Staff of the Storm Atronach, but instead conjures a Frost Atronach. Frost Atronachs work well at slowing down enemies with their ice magic, and though they're vulnerable against fire, they do well against the fire-based creatures of Solstheim when their attacks land.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
