Enchanting & Applying Enchantments — The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide

Enchanting & Applying Enchantments

Transform ordinary gear into legendary artifacts by mastering Skyrim's Enchanting system. This powerful crafting skill allows you to imbue weapons, armor, and jewelry with magical properties, from elemental damage to enhanced resistances. Learn how to gather soul gems, discover enchantments, and apply them effectively to create your ultimate loadout.

Enchanting is a cornerstone of character progression in Skyrim, enabling you to overcome challenges that might otherwise be insurmountable. By strategically applying enchantments, you can tailor your equipment to exploit enemy weaknesses, bolster your defenses, and enhance your magical or combat abilities. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from finding your first enchantment to creating truly unique and potent items.

Getting Started with Enchanting

To begin enchanting, you'll need:

• An Arcane Enchanter: These can be found in various locations, including Jorgen's House in Whiterun, the College of Winterhold, and many player homes.
• Soul Gems: These are containers for captured souls. They come in various sizes (Petty, Lesser, Common, Greater, Grand, and Black Soul Gems), with larger gems holding more powerful souls and thus allowing for stronger enchantments.
• Items to Enchant: Any unenchanted weapon, armor piece, or jewelry can be enchanted.

Discovering Enchantments

You learn new enchantments by disenchanting magical items. When you disenchant an item, you learn its primary enchantment and the item is destroyed. You can find enchanted items throughout Skyrim in dungeons, on enemies, or by purchasing them from merchants.

The Enchanting Process

1. Access an Arcane Enchanter.
2. Select an item to enchant.
3. Choose an enchantment from your learned list.
4. Select a filled soul gem. The size and type of soul gem will determine the strength of the enchantment.
5. Confirm the enchantment.

Enchantment Types and Effects

Enchantments can affect various aspects of your character and combat:

• Weapon Enchantments: Add elemental damage (Fire, Frost, Shock), absorb health or magicka, or cause paralysis.
• Armor/Clothing Enchantments: Increase health, magicka, stamina, resistances (Fire, Frost, Shock, Magic), or improve skills (e.g., Archery, One-Handed).
• Jewelry Enchantments: Similar to armor, often providing boosts to resistances or skill improvements.

Tips for Maximizing Enchanting

• Prioritize Grand and Black Soul Gems: These are essential for creating the most powerful enchantments. Black Soul Gems can capture the souls of humanoids, making them invaluable.
• Invest in the Enchanting Skill Tree: Perks like 'Enchanter' and 'Insightful Enchanter' increase the potency of your enchantments. 'Soul Squeezer' and 'Soul Siphon' help manage soul gems.
• Dual Enchanting: With the 'Extra Effect' perk, you can apply two enchantments to a single item, creating incredibly powerful gear.
• Alchemy Synergy: Combine Enchanting with Alchemy. Potions that boost Enchanting can be used before enchanting to create even stronger effects.
• Disenchant Everything: Don't be afraid to disenchant items with enchantments you don't need. Learning them is the fastest way to expand your enchantment repertoire.

Notable Enchantments