Detect Life (Skyrim)

For other uses, see Detect Life.

Detect Life is an adept Alteration spell in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that enables the caster to see the aura of nearby living creatures, even through walls. This spell does not work on undead, machines, or Daedra.

UsefulnessEdit

• The Detect Life spell allows the user to distinguish between friendly and hostile characters through the color of the mist it uses to show their presence—hostile characters are red, and friendly characters are light blue.
  • Note that the blue mist surrounding what appears to be a friendly character or creature may become red mist as the Dragonborn approaches and the being becomes hostile on sight.
• Useful for stealth-oriented classes, as it can be used to find out how many foes are in the next room, then calculate an efficient plan of attack.
• Can be extremely efficient at raising Alteration, as it increases the amount of experience gain the more targets it is able to see. For example, seeing one person may take a couple of minutes to increase, while seeing two people will cut that in half. So to get the most of this spell, one should cast it in a major city such as the Whiterun or Riften markets.

Spell tomeEdit

AttributesEdit

• Weight: 1
• Value: 332
• See Spell Tome for a complete table of spell tomes, their descriptions, and their values.

AcquisitionEdit

• Obtained from Stalleo after completing the quest "Infiltration" at Treva's Watch.
• May be found in Labyrinthian in the first chamber.
• May appear as random loot.
• Available for purchase from the following, at Alteration skill 50:
  • Tolfdir at the College of Winterhold
  • Wylandriah at the Mistveil Keep

TriviaEdit

• Members of the Psijic Order are not affected by the Detect Life Spell, since they are marked as ghosts in Creation Kit.

BugsEdit

•  PC   PS3   As a vampire, using Detect Life while out in the day will sometimes result in limitless use of the spell, thus providing unlimited experience. This can sometimes be triggered by moving in any direction right as magicka runs out.

AppearancesEdit

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim