E.g., Muffle (Magic) ~300, Iron Dagger (Smithing) ~38
None
Guardian Stone (+20%)
None
Rested (+5%)
Well Rested (+10%)
Lover's Comfort (+15%)
No
Yes (+15%)
Base XP Required:0
Active Multiplier:1.0x
Actions/Casts Needed:0
Optimizing Your Skill Progression in Skyrim
Whether you are crafting hundreds of daggers to master Smithing, repeatedly casting Muffle to enhance your Illusion, or brewing potions to cap Alchemy, knowing exactly how much effort remains is crucial for efficient leveling. This Skyrim Skill Calculator determines the number of specific actions required to reach your target level based on the game's internal XP formulas.
How Skyrim Skill XP is Calculated
Unlike character leveling, skill leveling in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim uses a specific curve. Generally, the XP required to advance from skill level L to L+1 follows a formula that increases as the skill gets higher. While specific skills (like Destruction or Restoration) have slight variances in their base multipliers, the standard progression curve used by most skills is approximately:
XP Required = Skill Level × 1.95 + Constant
This means going from level 90 to 91 takes significantly more effort than going from 15 to 16. Our calculator sums the cumulative XP needed across all levels in your range and divides it by the XP yielded by your chosen training method.
Bonus Multipliers Explained
To reduce the grind, players should stack experience bonuses. This calculator accounts for the following stackable effects:
Guardian Stones: The Warrior, Mage, or Thief stones grant a passive +20% experience gain to their respective skill trees.
Sleep Bonuses: Sleeping in a bed grants "Rested" (+5%), "Well Rested" (+10% in an owned bed), or "Lover's Comfort" (+15% with a spouse).
Aetherial Crown: Used to stack the Lover Stone (+15%) on top of a Guardian Stone.
Common Base XP Values for Grinding
To use the calculator effectively, input the "XP Per Action" for your specific grind. Here are some common approximate values (note: these can vary by patch and item value):
Smithing (Gold Ring): ~25 XP (varies by gold value)
Smithing (Dwarven Bow): ~105 XP (highly efficient)
Illusion (Muffle): ~280 XP (per cast)
Alteration (Telekinesis): ~20 XP (per second)
Conjuration (Soul Trap): ~150 XP (on corpse)
Using these values allows you to estimate precisely how many ingots you need to buy or how much magicka you will consume to reach level 100.
function calculateSkyrimProgress() {
// Get Inputs
var currentLevel = parseInt(document.getElementById('currentLevel').value);
var targetLevel = parseInt(document.getElementById('targetLevel').value);
var xpPerAction = parseFloat(document.getElementById('xpPerAction').value);
var stoneBonus = parseFloat(document.getElementById('guardianStone').value);
var sleepBonus = parseFloat(document.getElementById('sleepBonus').value);
var crownBonus = parseFloat(document.getElementById('etherialCrown').value);
// Validation
if (isNaN(currentLevel) || isNaN(targetLevel) || isNaN(xpPerAction)) {
alert("Please enter valid numbers for levels and XP.");
return;
}
if (currentLevel >= targetLevel) {
alert("Target Level must be higher than Current Level.");
return;
}
if (targetLevel > 100) {
targetLevel = 100;
document.getElementById('targetLevel').value = 100;
}
if (currentLevel < 15) {
currentLevel = 15; // Base starting level
document.getElementById('currentLevel').value = 15;
}
// Logic: Calculate Total XP Needed based on standard curve
// Formula approx: XP for level L = L * 1.95 + 60 (Standard curve approximation)
// We sum the cost for every level step from current to target.
var totalXpNeeded = 0;
for (var lvl = currentLevel; lvl < targetLevel; lvl++) {
// XP needed to advance FROM 'lvl' TO 'lvl + 1'
// Using the standard generic formula found in creation kit for most skills
var levelCost = (lvl * 1.95) + 60;
totalXpNeeded += levelCost;
}
// Calculate Multiplier
// Bonuses are additive with each other in Skyrim usually (1 + 0.2 + 0.1)
var totalMultiplier = 1 + stoneBonus + sleepBonus + crownBonus;
// Apply Multiplier
// If you have a 20% bonus, you gain 1.2x XP per action.
// Therefore, effective actions = TotalXP / (XPPerAction * Multiplier)
var effectiveXpPerAction = xpPerAction * totalMultiplier;
var actionsNeeded = Math.ceil(totalXpNeeded / effectiveXpPerAction);
// Update UI
document.getElementById('resBaseXp').innerText = Math.round(totalXpNeeded).toLocaleString();
document.getElementById('resMultiplier').innerText = totalMultiplier.toFixed(2) + "x";
document.getElementById('resActions').innerText = actionsNeeded.toLocaleString();
// Show Results
document.getElementById('resultsArea').style.display = 'block';
}