Skills are important in Daggerfall, so is the way of leveling them. In this guide we will explain the basics of skill leveling and the fastest way to level each skill. If you have better method for certain skill make sure to share in the comments.

This guide is made for Daggerfall Unity. Classic Daggerfall is also mentioned but some methods may not apply to Classic.

In vanilla Daggerfall there are 2 ways to level your skills: training and using.

• Training is that you pay money to trainers to increase your skills.
  
  All joinable factions except Knightly Orders offer training to members for 100 gold per character level. Temples in adddition offer training to non-members for 400 gold per character level. Different factions have different skills that they will train which can be found on UESP[en.uesp.net].
  
  Training takes 3 hours and consumes 30 fatigue. If you have 31 or less fatigue before training you will drop to the floor from exhaustion after completing.
  
  You can only train once every 12 hours meaning 9 hours of waiting after finishing a session.
  
  Lastly you can only train skills up to 51.
  
  
• Using is much more straightforward. As is the tradition of Elder Scrolls games the more you use a skill the better you are at it. This part is the main content of this guide.

In Daggerfall the speed at which your skills increase depends on 5 factors:

• Raw skill xp is what will be discussed below. It will be modified by the next 3 factors. All xp in the next section refers to raw skill xp. One training session is 10-20 raw skill xp at random.
  
  
• Skill Multiplier depends on individual skills so some skills will advance faster despite same raw skill xp gain.
  
  Higher multiplier = slower skill advancement.
  
  
• Class Multiplier is the moving dagger when you create your class. It depends on advantages and disadvantages as well as HP gain per level.
  
  Lower dagger = faster skill advancement.
  
  
• Reflex Mod is the last choice when making a character.
  
  Higher reflex = faster skill advancement.
  
  
• Player Level affects how many skill xp you need for skill advancement.
  
  Higher level = slower skill advancement.

You can only increase a skill every 6 hours. The cooldown is shared among all skills.

You can only increase one primary skill to 100, after that all others will be capped to 95. Skills already past 95 will not be decreased but can not be increased further. This can be circumvented in Classic by enchanting an item to boost your mastered skill beyond 100%, which will remove the limit. However, this exploit is not possible in Daggerfall Unity.

Includes Short Blade, Long Blade, Axe, Blunt Weapon and Archery
Skill Multiplier: 1 for Archery, 2 for else.
Difficulty: Easy. Speed depends on your Speed attribute and your mouse clicking speed.
Mechanic: 1xp every time you try to hit an enemy. You do not need to actually hit the enemy but you must have the possibility to hit it so the game can do hit check.

Method: Get a proper weapon of low grade material such as Iron Dagger for Short Blade. Find an enemy that is immune to the material. Some quests and dungeons have such enemy in a cage which is better since you can hit it more consistently. Spam attacks on the enemy. Since the enemy is immune to the material you can hit it as long as you wish and it will still give xp as normal. Moreover since weapon durability is only reduced when dealing damage an iron dagger will never break against a lich since no damage is dealt.

Skill Multiplier: 2
Difficulty: Easy. Speed depends on your Speed attribute and your mouse clicking speed.
Mechanic: Same as Weapon Skills.

Method: Punch as many enemies as you can. Since no enemy is immune to H2H you can not cheese it like above.

Includes Alteration, Destruction, Illusion, Mysticism, Restoration and Thaumaturgy.
Skill Multiplier: 2 for Restoration and Thaumaturgy, 1 for else.
Difficulty: Easy. Speed depends on your maximum MP.
Mechanic: 1xp every time you cast a spell with effects in corresponding school. Stacks if the spell includes multiple effects in the same school so a spell with 3 Shield effects or 2 Shield and 1 Slowfall effects both give 3 xp in Alteration. A spell with Shield/Light/Levitate give 1 xp each in Alteration, Illusion and Thaumaturgy.

Method: Join the Mages Guild to gain access to spell maker. Make a spell with 3 cheap effects at lowest value (1+1 per 2 levels) and spam it. Whether to make a spell with 3 same school effects or 3 different school effects depends on the player. The min cost of any spell is 5. The cheapest effects in each school is written below.

If you have spell absorption then make 1 effect Destruction and Area at Range. Add Destruction effect first since many effects prevent you from choosing Area at Range. Cast the spell at your feet so you can gain MP back. At first the added cost of AoE makes it worse than Self spells but later as the spell cost goes down you can cast these spells for free.

Exploit soon to be fixed: Get spell absorption. Make an AoE spell with 3 Destruction effects. Cast the spell at your feet and your MP will actually increase after certain skill level. This is because spell absorption is based on effects rather than spells. A spell with 3 zero cost effects can be cast with 5 MP but when absorbing it will be 15 MP so 10 MP net gain. Fixed in the code but not released yet. This exploit is fixed in 0.14.0 and is no longer viable.

If you choose Sorcerer class or add No Mana Regen as disadvantage then Mages Guild will restore your MP for free once joined. So you do not need spell absorption tricks above and can instead spam spells then restore MP for free.

Cheapest effects in each school:
Alteration: Jumping and Water Breathing
Destruction: Damage HP/MP/Fatigue
Illusion: Light and Mage Light
Mysticism: Open
Restoration: Heal Fatigue
Thaumaturgy: Water Walking

Skill Multiplier: 8
Difficulty: Easy. Speed depends on your Speed attribute and your mouse clicking speed.
Mechanic: Same as Weapon Skills.

Method: Maxing Weapon Skills is enough to max Critical Strike. Just attack those enemies.

Skill Multiplier: 1
Difficulty: Easy. Speed depends on your mouse clicking speed.
Mechanic: 3xp for each successful enemy pacification (enemies need to detect you for the game to check and quest enemies ignore check), 1xp for each talk session (from open a talk window to close it, you must get any reply for it to count) and 1xp for each Debate/Lie when in court. The difference is as below.

• Streetwise: Burglar, Rogue, Acrobat, Thief, Assassin, Nightblade in human enemy, none in humanoid enemy, Blunt in talk session, Lie in court
  
• Etiquette: All else in human enemy, Vampire (Ancient) and (Ancient) Lich in humanoid enemy, Polite in talk session, Debate in court

Classic uses 1xp for each successful enemy pacification and all human enemies use Etiquette.

Method: Since each talk session gives 1xp, we can repeatedly click on the same person, click okay twice and click goodbye to gain xp quickly. Other mechanics are too slow to be useful.

Skill Multiplier: 1
Difficulty: Easy.
Mechanic: 1xp for each transaction. Here transaction means clicking the Buy or Sell button in the trade window. Do not need to close the trade window like in Etiquette and Streetwise.

Method: Since each transaction gives 1xp, we want to sell items one by one to maximize xp gain. Click a buckler, click sell, click an iron dagger, click sell, so on and so forth. Tedious but efficient.

Skill Multiplier: 2
Difficulty: Easy.
Mechanic: 1xp for each lockpicking attempt. Do not need to open the door. Successfully open an exterior door then exit will relock the door allowing for another attempt. If you fail you need to level your Lockpicking skill in order to try again on that door.

Method: Find a large city, wait until night, pick every door.
Exploit not fixed soon: Save will clear attempt information on residences. So you can instead find a residence with a level 1 lock then pick the door over and over again. If you fail just save and retry. You do not need to load after saving.
This exploit is not easy to fix. You can use it until fixed.

Skill Multiplier: 2
Difficulty: Easy.
Mechanic: 1xp for each climbing or rappel check. This is checked every real time second and only works if you are pressing a direction key when on the wall. Whether you are moving is not important

Method: Enter a building, choose a wall, press forward key to climb. Since it does not matter if you move or not, even if you are at ceiling as long as you are pressing forward key you will gain xp.

Skill Multiplier: 5
Difficulty: Easy.
Mechanic: 1xp for each jump.

Method: Find a residence with stove. Jump onto the stove and move to the wall. Press the jump key. You will not move at all or will start vibrate. This is due to your head almost touching the ceiling so your jump height is extremely low allowing for very fast jumps and quick xp gain.

Skill Multiplier: 1
Difficulty: Medium.
Mechanic: 1xp for each swimming check. This is checked every in game minute or 5 real time seconds. You need to be in water but do not need to be moving. Note some ground have water texture but you can stand on them then you are not swimming.

Method: Find a pool in a city, preferable near a tavern if you do not have restore fatigue spell. Stay in it and you will gain 1xp per in game minute. You can do this at night when most services are closed since you can not be frozen to death anyway.

Skill Multiplier: 2
Difficulty: Medium.
Mechanic: 1xp for each stealth check. This is checked every in game minute or 5 real time seconds. You need to be near an enemy but not seen or heard by it for the game to perform a check.

Method: Increase naturally in dungeon. No special means needed.

Skill Multiplier: 4
Difficulty: Medium.
Mechanic: 1xp every time an enemy tries to hit you. Others same as Weapon Skills.

Method: Increase naturally in dungeon. If you really want to level it, find some enemies and stand next to them. Make sure you do not die.

Skill Multiplier: 50
Difficulty: Medium.
Mechanic: 1xp for every 4 running checks. This is checked every in game minute or 5 real time seconds so 1xp every 4 in game minutes or 20 real time seconds. You need to be running but do not need to be moving.

Method: Increase naturally everywhere. If you really want to level it, find a concave corner and run towards it. Since you are in a corner you will not start climbing and since you do not need to be moving you will gain xp as long as you are pressing forward key.

Skill Multiplier: 1
Difficulty: Medium.
Mechanic: 1xp for each backstabbing attempt. Attack attempt when the enemy is facing away from you is a backstabbing attempt. You can miss with backstabbing attempt but you can not use an inefficient weapon which is different from Weapon Skills.

Method: Get a paralyze spell and paralyze enemies. Since paralyzed enemies can not turn to you you can land as many backstabs as you like. Language Skills help since pacified enemy will not face you when you turn to their back. Note some enemies are immune to paralysis.

Skill Multiplier: 2
Difficulty: Hard.
Mechanic: 1xp for each pickpocket attempt. Once per individual. 1xp for each successful property theft. 1xp for each stealing attempt in trade window. Note only property theft needs to be successful.

Method: Pickpocketing from townspeople, property theft and stealing in trade window can all be caught and the chance is 5% minimum so there is always risk making pickpocketing from human enemies the only safe option. Since only human enemies can be pickpocketed and 1 enemy only provides 1xp this skill is considered hard.
In Classic you can indefinitely pickpocket enemies making this skill easy to level.

Includes Orcish, Harpy, Giantish, Dragonish, Nymph, Daedric, Spriggan, Centaurian and Impish.
Skill Multiplier: 15
Difficulty: Hard.
Mechanic: 1xp for each failed pacification and 3xp for each successful one. You must be detected for enemies to be pacified. Quest enemies can not be pacified. Both do not count as success or fail. Below are the corresponding enemies for each skill:

• Orcish: Orc, Orc Sergeant, Orc Shaman and Orc Warlord
  
• Harpy: Harpy
  
• Giantish: Giant and Gargoyle
  
• Dragonish: Dragonling
  
• Nymph: Nymph and Lamia
  
• Daedric: Frost Daedra, Fire Daedra, Daedroth, Daedra Seducer and Daedra Lord
  
• Spriggan: Spriggan
  
• Centaurian: Centaur
  
• Impish: Imp and Dreugh

Other enemies except those mentioned in Etiquette and Streetwise do not have a Language Skill.
Classic uses 1xp for both.


Method: Worst skills to level. Get Comprehend Language spell and cast it before trying. Remove all invisibility or similar effects and lower your weapons to increase the chance. Successful pacification worth much more than failed one. Even then these skills are just too slow to level with such high Skill Multiplier. If you have Archeologist Guild mod installed the situation will be better. Use all your training sessions on these and the following skills is recommended. After 51 do your best and good luck.
If you are playing Classic then too bad for you.

Skill Multiplier: 12
Difficulty: Hard.
Mechanic: 1xp for every hour of rest. Loitering does not count. Does not matter whether you are at max HP/MP/Fatigue. Collapse due to exhaustion also counts as 1 hour rest.

Method: None, seriously. Just rest. Training before 51 is recommended since 10-20 xp per 3 hours is much better than 1xp per hour. After 51 just rest.