Similar to Spellmaking, enchanting items requires membership in the Mages Guild and access to the Arcane University. Once inside, head to the Chironasium where you’ll find an Altar of Enchanting. The enchanting process begins with a filled Soul Gem, with Grand Soul Gems offering the most powerful results.
To fill an empty Soul Gem, cast Soul Trap on an enemy and defeat them before the spell expires. The strength of the captured soul depends on the enemy’s power. Important to note: souls automatically fill the smallest available Soul Gem, so trapping a Rat’s soul in a Grand Soul Gem would waste valuable resources by placing a Petty Soul in your premium gem. The chart below shows the charge capacity of each soul type:
| Soul Size | Charge |
|---|---|
| Petty | 150 |
| Lesser | 300 |
| Common | 800 |
| Greater | 1200 |
| Grand | 1600 |
Weapon Enchantment
While naturally enchanted weapons are common throughout the game, creating custom enchantments can significantly complement your combat style. The process mirrors spellmaking, requiring knowledge of the spell effect before application.
Select an unenchanted weapon as your base—existing enchantments cannot be modified or stacked to create superior weapons. Then choose your desired Magnitude, Area, and Duration parameters. For most weapons, prioritize Magnitude and Duration over Area effects, with bows being the exception where Area enchantments prove valuable.
Always monitor the number of uses your weapon will have before requiring recharge. A weapon with devastating damage but only two uses before depletion offers limited practical value. The available charge from your soul directly determines the potential power of your weapon enchantment—larger souls enable more potent magical effects.
Armor Enchantment
Armor enchanting differs significantly from weapon enchanting. When applying constant effects to armor, you cannot adjust the magnitude of the effect or apply multiple enchantments to a single piece. After selecting your desired enchantment, the altar automatically determines the magnitude based entirely on the soul size used.
The most beneficial armor enchantments include Fortify Attribute (especially useful for enhancing weaker attributes like Luck), Fortify Health, Fortify Magicka, Reflect Damage, and Feather. Creating a diverse set with these primary enchantments, complemented by utility effects like Night-Eye, Detect Life, or Shield, will dramatically enhance your character’s capabilities and survival odds.
Also read our The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.