I`m level 13 Dark Elf, conjuration around 36 and 140 across each of magicka, health and stamina. Question is I've never enchanted anything, never understood it. I ve got to where I am using flames, frost and Conjure Atronach spells or, if I need hack and slash I have two big axes ( which glow a little blue, why is that?). I have Bound Sword but thats very basic unless I'm using it wrong. It only seems to help in levelling up Conjuration.

And thats it. Honestly, my Flame Atronach wins all the dungeon fights, not so good out in the open, but I hardly fight at all now. She does everything. But this won't work for the rest of the game. So how and what should I enchant . I have loads of soul gems, spells, shields, mage robes and axes but when I try on an Arcane Enchanter something is missing -- maybe my brain! It doesn't work.

Could someone give me a steer -- I'm about to go into the dungeon at the end of the Winterhold quest to get the Staff of Magnus and I have this feeling there is a big fight ahead.

Do the souls jump out and join in the fight for you ?. I understand that you need Grand Soul Gems for humans and I only have one of them.

Or could I carry on without enchanting anything ?


Am I reading this right, is this noob [censored]ting me ? Goddam noobs.

First you need to have an enchanted Item, like an axe that does frost damage.
Then, go to the Enchanting table and select "Disentchant"

BIG EDIT: THE ITEM WILL GET DESTROYED IF YOU SELECT TO DISENCHANT IT! So make sure you don't destroy anything you like or need. There are usually multiple items of the enchantment around, so use the cheapest one. Like Necklaces that increase your health for example, disenchant a lower level one. The value of YOUR enchantments will go up when you increase the enchanting skill and put in perks.

That's how you learn enchantments.

As for Enchanting Perks, I usually go to 80% (4 perk points) and one perk point in Fire Enchanting (25% better). I just love the Fire Enchantment, because in my opinion, nothing can withstand it - they all burn! LOL

Then, once you learned some enchantments, you can enchant your own equipment.

Say you have a blank Sword. Go to the enchanting table, make sure you have a Grant or Greater Soul gem, filled with a Grand or Greater Soul.
Select the Item
Select the Enchantment (not every enchantment can be placed on every item, like damage enchantments are only for weapons)
Select the Soul Gem

Then hit R and create the enchanted item. (You can hit F before you hit R and rename the item)

Enchantments on Weapons will loose their charge, so you need some filled soul gems to fill them back up.

Now, you don't have to enchant anything and no, no soul will jump out lol However, enchanted armor protects you a bit better (you can get more HP, more Stam, move silently etc) and I couldn't imaging playing with a plain weapon. My enemies must burn! LOL

different types of enchants work on different types of gear/equipment and different effects will work on different targets

I'd suggest that you hit up the uesp wiki on this for details and to get a clear picture

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Enchanting

with full enchanting (100) and the perks only up the middle (stronger overall enchants + stronger skill and weapon enchanting + dual effect enchanting) and up the right side to get to extra magicka from my soul gems I have a character at level 30 who has 2 enchants on everything she wears... doesn't sound like much until you realize that you can make casting destruction spells cost no magicka at all, increase your magicka regeneration until you can watch it fill in combat and still add to your carry weight, sneak, lock picking and speech skills. The same thing is true for warriors, whether you use 1h or 2h weapons and whether you're the style of fighter who needs more stamina or more health. Wanna move silently in heavy armor without the steed stone?

Enchanting is your friend.

and it's costly if you have other plans, so it's entirely a personal choice like everything else. I do have characters who have never enchanted a thing.

Enchanting is good.

But, as each new Elder Scroll game comes out though, enchanting gets dumber and dumber. There is no more WaterWalking, Levitation, Chameleon, Invisibility, Detect Life, NightEye, etc as a small example of some of the things that existed in the world of enchanting from Morrowind and Oblivion.

In Skyrim you learn an enchantment by finding a cheap inexpensive iron or steel item with an enchantment that you want to learn. Then, at an enchanting station, select 'disenchant' and the item is destroyed in the process of you acquiring the knowledge of that enchantment.

After learning the enchantments you wish to use, go to an enchanting station with the item you wish to enchant and with filled Soul Gems. Select the item, select the enchantment, select a soul gem, rename the enchanted item, and then craft the new item.

That's the basics.

I suggest: Save your game. Then do different enchantments with different items and different soul gems just to see what happens. Reload your saved game so you can try out more combinations. After figuring it all out, reload your game again and do it for real.

Thanks I will

Just another thing: Grand Soul Gems are not for humans but Giants. Black Soul Gems are for humans.

Edit: Make sure you noticed: you learn the Enchant regardless of the Enchant on the item so, like people have said, Disenchant the lowest valued item you can find.


Giants are actually Greater (makes no sense to me ). I think Trolls should be Grand also.

Here's the 'catalogue' of Souls:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Souls

Yes Buckom you are quite right. Sorry. But I'll never kill a mammoth. It's a protected specimen

In fact I found so many Grand Soul Gems already filled with a grand soul (30), as well as many already filled Black Soul Gems (17) that I never bothered to trap a grand soul.

Thank you for correcting me. I'll check for the Frost Troll.

EDIT: I have just soul trapped Frost Trolls. Common souls.