The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an enjoyable title not only because of its top-tier graphics, gameplay, and story but also because of the amazing enchantments it offers. Players can get the upper hand on their adversaries once they master the art of enchantment and elevate their gear to the next level.
Enchanting your weapons and armor can give you immense power by enhancing gear beyond its base level. The quality of the enchantment depends on how powerful the player is. Below, I will list out the finest enhancements in Skyrim. So, read on.
What are Enchantments in Skyrim❓
Enchantments are a magical effect that can heighten ordinary gear to something extraordinary by increasing their powers beyond their base levels. The Enchanting skill is one of the six Mage skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is also among the three crafting skills in the game.
When you enchant a weapon, jewelry, or armor, it helps you augment some magical effects as well as buffs/debuffs to them. Remember that the game allows you to enchant only those items that have no enchantments in them.
Disenchantment, on the other hand, allows you to learn the recipe of an enhancement forever but destroys the enchanted item in the process. Take an enchanted item you possess to the Arcane Enchanter to disenchant it. Later, you can make use of this recipe you learned for other equipment.
By the way, I have noticed that special or unique items are not disenchantable, and that is pretty logical (learning about their recipe and making more of them would take away their ‘unique’ status). Nevertheless, keep in mind that they are not the sole ones. Other items like Staves, Thieves Guild Armor, Daedric items, Quest Items, and Amulets of the Nine Divines also fall into that category.
The magical properties that come with enchanting various items are diverse. For your info, these magical properties are equipment type-specific. So, you cannot use them interchangeably.
Plus, Enchanter’s Potion (10% stronger), Enchanter’s Draught (15% stronger), Enchanter’s Philter (20% stronger), and Enchanter’s Elixir (25% stronger) give your enchantments a boost for sixty seconds.
How Many Enchantments are there in Skyrim❓
In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, there are 18 different enchantments available for the weapons, while the apparel enchantment count is 38.
As you continue using the weapon enchantments, they gradually exhaust. So, you have to refill them by utilizing soul gems now and again to keep their enchantments active. The bigger the soul is, the more uses you get upon refill.
Contrarily, the apparel enchantments are long-term and require no such recharges. Both the size of the soul and the skill and perks of the enchanter determine how strong the enchantment is.
Now, let me tell you about the best enchantments the game has to offer:
Absorb Health
The Absorb Health not only boosts the pure damage but also absorbs your enemy’s health and helps in healing you.
Using this perk, non-vampire characters become capable of getting a taste of vampirism.
While I think the values it offers are not up to the mark, the enchantment still manages to prove handy for players, especially assassins.
Absorb Health increases the damage of your weapon and then turns each of your attacks into health. Over time, it helps replenish your lost health.
Absorb Stamina
Absorb Stamina is all about taking away your opponent’s stamina and reviving yours at a surprisingly fast rate.
Every hit you land on your enemy using a weapon enchanted by Absorb Stamina will steal their stamina and feed it to you. If you are someone who is into physical weapons with stamina-draining moves, this enchantment can become your savior.
Vampire characters will also find this effect useful while facing Sun Damage since it restores their lost stamina.
Also, the enchantment proves to be handy in defeating Dragons. Stealing stamina off a Dragon hovering above your head can cause it to come crashing down, allowing you to attack it without difficulty.
Chaos Damage
When it comes to boosting the damage you deal, the Chaos Damage enchantment is unparalleled. Chaos Damage has a 50% chance of boosting the fire, frost, and shock damages.
And the coolest part of this enchantment is that the effects do not fade away. Instead, they heap up over each other to finally deal a huge blow and do immense damage together. They call it the ‘Chaos Damage’ for a reason.
Provided that you enchant a weapon with this effect, hitting an opponent with it will also decrease their Health, Magicka, and Stamina.
Note: There is a little downside to this enchantment. While wielding one-handed weapons, there is a 1/8th chance that your hit may not deal any enchantment damage.
Fire Damage
Having a weapon enchanted with Fire Damage increases the fire damage you deal with that weapon.
Most of the enemies you encounter in Skyrim are unable to resist fire damage. So, it is perhaps the best damage type in the entire type.
The Fire Damage enchantment is a deadly offensive against Frost-based enemies.
Interestingly enough, enemies who are already on fire will suffer additional damage.
When enchanted with Fire Damage, the weapon will have a reddish glow and set any enemy struck with it on fire.
Weapons with Fire Damage show great efficacy against Trolls and Undead Creatures. Why? It is because they have a weakness to fire.
I would recommend enchanting melee weapons like dual-wielded swords. This will enable you to hit your adversaries with a barrage of strikes within a short time and not give the fire a chance to extinguish.
Fortify Carry Weight
This one is among my personal favorites. Fortify Carry Weight can increase carry weight in Skyrim.
While leveling up your Stamina by one point also improves your Carry Weight, the steady yet slow increase may not suffice if you have a ton of items with you.
Having less carrying capacity is undesirable for any Dragonborn. A lower Carry Weight means that your dungeon crawls will be less fulfilling, as you will have to take less loot each time. This is especially true if you are one of those who like to grab all the loot they come across, no matter how trivial.
Enchanting your gear with Fortify Carry Weight can help you continue with your hoarding activities.
Fortify Heavy Armor
I do not know about you, but I love making my Skyrim character someone who can take a lot of damage with zero blenching. And for that purpose, hardly anything is better than the Fortify Heavy Armor.
This enchantment helps you reduce the damage you take every time an enemy hits you while you are wearing heavy armor. Fortify Heavy Armor enhances your Heavy Armor skill and makes your defense way more solid than ever before.
Do not think I am exaggerating when I say that Fortify Heavy Armor can turn you into an unstoppable force in your combat. Try it yourself, and you will know how powerful it is.
Frost Damage
Upon enchanting your weapon with Frost Damage, every hit you land on your enemies will deal frost damage to them.
It is true that, unlike fire damage, numerous creatures in Skyrim are resistant to frost damage. But if you play it smart, it can be beneficial in obtaining some extra time to regroup and plan effective strategies on the go. Why? It is because the Frost Damage enchantment is an effective way to slow your enemies down.
As they start to move slower, you get freedom in strategic counteroffensives. Plus, if you feel a little too overwhelmed, you can even retreat if need be.
The enchanted weapon will have a bright bluish glow and deal both Health and Stamina damage (with quick draining) when it lands on someone.
This, along with its speed-decreasing abilities, makes it an excellent weapon to employ against both fast and slow opponents.
Also, I suggest using it from a long distance. Doing so will reduce your foe’s speed even if you fail to eliminate them with the initial hit, making them an easy target.
Paralyze
I personally love to utilize the Paralyze enchantment a lot, as it can incapacitate an enemy upon being hit for 10 seconds (15 with the Stability perk). Because of my opponent’s inability to move, hitting them furiously without any resistance becomes a cakewalk.
The stronger the Dragonborn is, the more the duration of the effect. Even at low levels, a strike from a Paralyze-enchanted weapon will cause an enemy to fall for a moment before standing up again.
Nonetheless, in the world of Skyrim, some foes have complete immunity against this effect.
You can also use Paralyze to get the necessary time to use certain attacks that take more time.
In addition, this enchantment can become a lifesaver in instances where the enemies are large in number. Paralyzing them is bound to make things easier. And, if you have the capabilities of a mage, combining this enchantment with the destruction spells in Skyrim can and will spell doom for your adversaries!
Resist Magic
Resist Magic ranks among the handiest enchantments in the entire game. Every Skyrim enthusiast knows that the game world is filled to the brim with creatures who are proficient in sorcery.
In case your main focus is on creating a character whose strong point is their ranged attacks, you leave yourself vulnerable to magic attacks. And you simply cannot avoid that.
However, wearing a Resist Magic-enchanted gear can trim down the damage received from all inbound spells. This magic resistance comprises all kinds of magic attacks. So, there is nothing to worry about.
Shock Damage
Shock Damage is a wonderful enchantment that deals decent damage to an opponent’s Health. Using this enchantment, you can expect a 15-point damage to your enemy.
Shock Damage-enchanted weapons have a dark bluish-purple glow and deal some extra shock damage to a foe along with the standard damage.
But that is not all! 50% of the damage dealt to their Health will also be cut from their Magicka. How cool is that?
Plus, the Magicka-draining ability of this enchantment makes it a perfect choice while fighting sorcerers and other spellcasters.
Some creatures like Storm Atronachs, Shock Spiders, Netches, and Orchendors show resistance or even complete immunity against Shock Damage.
Also Read: Skyrim Atronach Forge | How to Craft Magical Scrolls, Staves, & Weapons
Silent Moons Enchant
I consider the Silent Moons Enchant one of the most unorthodox enchantments in the entire Skyrim.
When a weapon is enchanted with it, nighttime hits, while the moon is in the sky, offer a 10 to 20-point damage bonus.
The weapon enchanted with it will have a greenish glow at night. During the day, the target of the weapon will have a yellowish luminosity.
Its Light Damage effect causes additional tapering damage for 2 seconds after the conclusion of the main effect.
What I find funny though is the fact that the ‘Notes on The Luner Forge’ book in Skyrim inaccurately states that Silent Moons Enchant steals enemies’ Health. Nothing of that sort happens apart from the damage bonus.
Stamina Damage
Stamina Damage is an enchantment that reduces a target’s stamina when you hit them with an enchanted weapon.
By plummeting your foes’ stamina with each hit, you can stop them right in their tracks from unleashing power attacks on you.
For those who are unaware, the amount of damage you deal to an enemy using Stamina Damage depends on the weapon you have enchanted with it.
Besides, it can also thwart your opponents from running towards you.
Final Words
To conclude, enchantments are a must-have for any Skyrim aficionados who want to utilize their equipment to the fullest. Enchanting a weapon or gear makes it more powerful than before and even allows you to get your hands on something incomparable. The world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has 18 weapons and 38 apparel enchantments up for grabs.
In this post, I have carefully curated and presented to you some of the best among them. I hope they will prove their worth in your voyage to mastering your Dragonborn abilities and will provide you with never-before-experienced Skyrim sessions. Best of luck!
Now that you know all about enchantments, you may check out another one of my favorites from Skyrim: Daedra Hearts. These are rare elements that can be used for armor, weapons, and magic. Check out our post on how to get Daedra Hearts in Skyrim!
