Is Lover Stone Better Than Warrior Stone? Definitive Verdict

As a hardcore Skyrim player with 1000+ hours across multiple character builds, I can conclusively say the Lover Stone is superior to the Warrior Stone in most scenarios.

The main reason is simple – the Lover Stone boosts all skills, while Warrior only enhances combat abilities. This makes Lover far more versatile.

That said, I‘ll analyze the differences in depth across magic, warrior, and thief playstyles to help you decide which stone fits your build best!

Lover Stone: Jack of All Trades

The Lover Stone grants the permanent "Lover‘s Comfort" effect, improving skill progression for every skill tree by 15%.

This includes:

• Combat: One-Handed, Two-Handed, Archery
• Magic: All schools – Destruction, Restoration, etc
• Stealth: Light/Heavy Armor, Sneak, Lockpicking
• Crafting: Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy

So whether you‘re a battlemage blasting fireballs, a silent assassin one-shotting enemies from the shadows, or a master crafter forging epic armor – the Lover Stone has you covered.

Pros

• Fits literally any playstyle – extremely versatile
  -Decent 15% boost applies to triple the amount of skills as Warrior Stone

Cons

• Slightly weaker perk than Warrior Stone‘s 20% combat boost

Warrior Stone: Combat Specialist

True to its name, the Warrior Stone enhances only combat abilities – by 20%, which seems higher. But there‘s a catch!

It boosts:

• One-Handed
• Two-Handed
• Heavy Armor
• Block
• Smithing

So while the 20% figure appears superior to Lover Stone‘s 15%, it actually only applies to ~5 skills compared to 15+ skills.

Pros

• Specialized support for warrior class builds
• Higher 20% boost (but only for few skills)

Cons

• Extremely limited – only boosts martial skills
• Other playstyles gain no benefit

Magic Builds: Lover Stone Wins

For any magic-focused build, whether pure mage or battlemage, the Lover Stone is far more useful.

Why? Because it accelerates leveling for all schools of magic – Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration, Illusion, Alteration. Warrior Stone boosts none.

Don‘t be fooled by the lower 15% vs 20% numbers. With triple the amount of boosted magics, you gain way more value from Lover Stone‘s blanket coverage.

Warrior Builds: Toss Up

For pure weapon-based warrior characters, the Warrior Stone holds some appeal – boosting key combat skills 20% faster.

But I‘d still favor Lover Stone for most warriors. Reason being – weapons and armor still depend on Enchanting/Smithing. Plus, many warriors utilize Restoration magic for healing.

Here‘s a breakdown of skill impacts:

As we can see, Warrior Stone only wins in 2 categories. The versatility of Lover Stone makes it better in my opinion. But it‘s a close call either way.

Thief Builds: No Contest

For stealthy builds relying on Sneak, Pickpocket, Light Armor and more – Lover Stone dominates, no contest.

Warrior Stone focuses solely on weapons and heavy armor, which are near-useless for thieves. Plus, Lover Stone accelerates Alchemy for crafting invisibility/paralysis poisons. It‘s a foregone conclusion!

The Verdict: Lover Stone for Most Builds

While the Warrior Stone seems specialized for weapon characters on paper, the versatility and blanket coverage of Lover Stone makes it superior in my experience for 80-90% of playstyles.

Only pure combat builds eschewing all magic should opt for Warrior over Lover. Every other class combination benefits more from Lover‘s wide umbrella buff.

There‘s a reason most Skyrim experts tout it as the #1 standing stone! So leave Lover‘s Comfort active at all times unless you really plan on never casting a single spell.

Let me know if you have any other questions about these stones or character builds!