Enchanting & Enchantment Effects — The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide
Enchanting is a powerful crafting skill in Skyrim that allows you to imbue weapons, armor, and jewelry with magical properties. By learning enchantment effects and using soul gems filled with soul energy, you can create custom gear that sificantly enhances your character's abilities and playstyle. Mastering Enchanting is key to achieving endgame power.
The process of enchanting involves three main components: an item to enchant, a filled soul gem, and knowledge of an enchantment effect. You can learn enchantment effects by disenchanting existing enchanted items. When you disenchant an item, you lose the item but gain the knowledge of one of its enchantments. The stronger the original enchantment, the more potent the learned effect will be.
The Enchanting Process
- Find an Arcane Enchanter: These stations are found in various locations, including the College of Winterhold, Jarl's palaces, and player-built homes.
- Select an Item: Choose the weapon, armor, or jewelry you wish to enchant.
- Choose an Enchantment Effect: Select an effect you have learned.
- Select a Soul Gem: Choose a filled soul gem. The size of the soul gem determines the strength of the enchantment. Common soul gems (petty, lesser) will yield weaker enchantments, while Grand soul gems will produce the most powerful effects.
- Enchant!: The enchantment will be applied to your item.
Key Enchantment Effects
There are numerous enchantment effects, each with its own strengths and applications. Here are some of the most important and versatile:
| Enchantment | Effect | Item Slots |
|---|---|---|
| Fortify Magicka | Increases maximum Magicka. | Head, Chest, Necklace, Ring |
| Fortify Health | Increases maximum Health. | Chest, Necklace, Ring |
| Fortify Stamina | Increases maximum Stamina. | Chest, Feet, Necklace, Ring |
| Fortify Destruction/Conjuration/etc. | Reduces Magicka cost for a specific spell school. | Head, Chest, Necklace, Ring |
| Fire/Frost/Shock Damage | Adds elemental damage to weapons or armor. | Weapon, Shield, Ring |
| Absorb Health/Magicka/Stamina | Drains the target's resource and replenishes yours. | Weapon, Shield |
| Chaos Damage | Deals a combination of Fire, Frost, and Shock damage. | Weapon |
| Muffle | Silences your footsteps, aiding stealth. | Feet |
| Resist Fire/Frost/Shock | Reduces incoming elemental damage. | Head, Chest, Necklace, Ring |
| Fortify Carry Weight | Increases your maximum Carry Weight. | Feet, Ring |
Perks and Synergies
The Enchanting skill tree offers several crucial perks:
- Enchanter: Increases the strength of your enchantments.
- Insightful Enchanter: Increases the potency of skill enchantments.
- Corpus Enchanter: Increases the potency of health and magicka enchantments.
- Extra Effect: Allows you to apply two enchantments to the same item. This is arguably the most important perk for endgame enchanting.
Synergy with Alchemy: For the most powerful enchantments, combine Enchanting with Alchemy. Create Fortify Enchanting potions using alchemy, then drink them before enchanting to sificantly boost the strength of your created enchantments.
Tips for Effective Enchanting:
- Disenchant Everything: Disenchant every enchanted item you find, even if you don't plan to use it, to learn its enchantment.
- Use Grand Soul Gems: Always use Grand soul gems filled with Grand souls for the most potent enchantments, especially when you have the Extra Effect perk.
- Targeted Enchanting: Focus on enchanting gear that directly benefits your playstyle. For example, a mage might prioritize Fortify Destruction and Fortify Magicka.
- Crafting Gear: Consider enchanting a set of gear specifically for crafting (Fortify Smithing and Fortify Enchanting) to create even better equipment.
By dedicating time to the Enchanting skill, you can transform ordinary items into legendary artifacts, making your Dragonborn a force to be reckoned with.