I have some basic knowledge of enchanting but have some questions that I cant find answers to online.

1. When I disenchant an item that is say 20 extra magicka. Then I use my best soul gem and then enchant any light armor with it, why does it always drop to 16 or 14 extra magicka.

2. Is greater soul gem the biggest soul gem (excluding Azura's Star). What creatures have the biggest capturable souls, (I have all the sizes).

3. To learn enchanting I need to disenchant enchanted items. Are dungeons the best place to find these enchanted items. (I finished College quests and am really bummed you cant disenchant the arch-mage's robes.

I dont want Alteration so am working on enchanting light armor.

Thanks for reading and the replies.

1. It doesn't matter what number it is when you disenchant. It will go up as you put in perk points an use enchanting potions. All your doing is learning the enchantment, number means nothing when disenchanting.

2. Black souls gems are the biggest. Those can take a human soul which is most powerful. They can also take a grand soul which is the next step down, that way you don't have to kill humans to fill it. Grand and black have no difference as far as numbers, enchantment does not go up by using a black gem over a grand. Grand gems will work just fine. You can kill a mammoth to get a grand soul.

3. Honestly I've found items to disenchant everywhere but mainly I when I was in a shop I would find something I was looking for in the shop and inventory and I would buy it. The clothes shop The radiant raiment has all kinds of circlets and jewelry to but and disenchant. Remeber you can buy the cheapest one because the percentage does not matter. Buying these items would probably be very expensive for a low level character so it may not be the best idea. I'd wait and eventually you'll find all the enchantments. Just pick up any enchanted weapons, armor, or jewelry when your playing and always go to an enchanting table before you sell anything to disenchant.

Your enchanting numbers start low but putting perk points into enchanting will raise them. I'm maxed out and with using a potion I have some great enchanted item. Example. Ring that adds 67 more health and destruction spells cost 27% less.

Enjoy!

Your enchanting level and the level of the soul gem determine the amount of damage on a damage enchant, or the percentage on a regen enchant, etc. Hence, early on the numbers will always be lower than the max number that was on the item before you disenchanted. As you increase the enchanting level/type of soul gem, the numbers will go up.

Hopes that makes sense.

Good luck.

I would add that in addition to your enchanting level and the size soul gem you are using selecting the appropriate enchanting perks will also have a significant effect on the power of your enchanted items.

Exactly what I am shooting for. Planning on wearing 4 items of apparel with 25% less destruction magic cost and a ring which adds health.

Another question : What kind of enchantments can I put on footwear? Is there a list somewhere?

Sneak, pickpocket, carry weight, Onehanded, two handed, stamina and stamina regan, resist fire, resist frost and finally muffle.

Also don't forget when you reach level 100 enchanting you get to put two enchantments on each item. It may be level 90 I forget. Your pretty much a master at anything you want to be when you have double enchantments. I am a thief and I decided to be a Mage so I enchanted a ring, necklace, armor and helmet or guanlets( I forget the last one) all costs 25% less to on destruction spells and now my destruction spells cost nothing, even master ones.