Enchanting (Skyrim)

"Don't suppose you'd enchant my sword? Dull old blade can barely cut butter."

- Hold Guard

Enchanting is a skill in and is one of the six skills that falls under the Mage category. Enchanting is a type of arcane crafting and is one of the three crafting skills of. Enchanting allows the Dragonborn to add certain magical improvements and buffs to weapons and armor.

Mechanics
The act of enchanting requires an item with no existing enchantments, a filled soul gem, knowledge of an enchantment, and the use of an arcane enchanter. The Law of the Firsts was a magical law which stated that once an item was enchanted, it could not be enchanted again and could not accept another enchantment. Arcane Enchanters can be found in all major cities, typically in the palace or longhouse, in the court wizard's quarters. They are also found in many locations that feature humanoid, magic-using enemies such as necromancers and mages. All houses the Dragonborn can own (except Breezehome in Whiterun) can be equipped with an arcane enchanter. There is even one in Sinderion's Field Laboratory in Blackreach.

There are certain items that can be enchanted even though they already have an enchantment. These include the Amulet of the Gargoyle (in ), Horksbane (from ), and Wuuthrad.

Racial bonuses
Altmer, Imperial, and Orsimer characters gain a + 5 bonus to enchanting at the start of the game.

Enchantment types
Enchantments fall into two categories based on type of item:
 * Weapons have charged enchantments that cast a spell on the weapon's target when it strikes. Larger soul gems result in more charges on the enchantment, allowing for more strikes before the charge is depleted. Soul Gems, or the perk Soul Siphon, can be used to recharged depleted enchantments.
 * Armor and other apparel items cast a constant effect on the wearer as long as the item is worn. Larger soul gems create greater magnitude effects. Muffle and Waterbreathing, being all or nothing effects, are not dependent on the size of soul gem used, a petty soul will do as well as a grand.

Obtaining enchantments
The Dragonborn initially has no knowledge of enchantments. To learn an enchantment, a magic item with the enchantment that the Dragonborn wants to learn must be disenchanted at an arcane enchanter. The strength of the enchantment on the item does not affect the strength of the enchantment learned by disenchanting it, with some exceptions. Those are noted below, marked with two asterisks (**). Disenchanting destroys the item but grants permanent knowledge of the base enchantment, allowing its use when enchanting. Some items cannot be disenchanted to learn their effects. These are quest items, daedric artifacts, Amulets of the Nine Divines, and many, but not all, items with unique names. Staves also cannot be disenchanted.

Staff enchanting
With Dragonborn, the Dragonborn can buy non-enchanted staves and enchant them with a staff enchanter. There is only one staff enchanter on the island of Solstheim and none exist in Skyrim. The staff enchanter in Solstheim is locked in a room that is only accessible after completing the quest Reluctant Steward for Master Neloth. It can be found in Tel Mithryn, in the southeast part of the island. Enchanting staves increases the enchanting skill but enchanting perks are not applied. For example, the perk Storm Enchanter does not increase the amount of damage a storm staff (a shock damage staff) will do.

Leveling
The following actions raise the enchanting skill:
 * Disenchanting items yields enchanting experience as well as the ability to use that enchantment on other items, but destroys the item in the process. Skill gain increases with the value of the item. Each enchantment may only be learned once.
 * Enchanting items that do not currently possess an enchantment. Experience gained is constant, and does not depend on item value, enchant applied, or soul used.
 * Using a soul gem to recharge weapons (Soul Siphon does not count). Skill gains from recharging weapons are based on size of soul used, regardless of actual charge gained. To recharge an enchanted weapon, select the weapon in the items menu and press the button specified (generally the button for activating powers and shouts) and select a filled soul gem. The larger the soul, the more a weapon is recharged. The soul gem will be destroyed.

Books
Books that raise the Enchanting skill:
 * A Tragedy in Black
 * Catalogue of Weapon Enchantments
 * Complete Catalogue of Enchantments for Armor
 * Enchanter's Primer
 * Twin Secrets
 * Oghma Infinium

Quests

 * Discerning the Transmundane can award the Dragonborn with five levels of every Mage governed skill, including enchanting.
 * Find Pantea's Flute for Pantea Ateia in the Bards College in Solitude. This also increases Alteration, Illusion, Conjuration, Destruction, and Restoration.

Perks
The following are the perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up.

In addition to perks increasing enchanting powers, leveling enchanting increases them. For every 10 levels, enchantments will be 1% stronger.

Weapon enchantments
There are 18 weapon enchantments available. The enchantments wear out after successive use, and to keep the enchantment in effect, it has to be "refilled" by using soul gems to add more uses. The larger the soul used, the more uses given via recharging.

(**) The strength of these enchantments is determined by their strength on the original item they are learned from.
 * Absorb Health
 * Absorb Magicka**
 * Absorb Stamina**
 * Banish
 * Chaos Damage
 * Fear (Skyrim)
 * Fiery Soul Trap
 * Fire Damage
 * Frost Damage
 * Huntsman's Prowess
 * Magicka Damage
 * Notched Pickaxe
 * Paralyze
 * Shock Damage
 * Silent Moons Enchant
 * Soul Trap
 * Stamina Damage
 * Turn Undead

Apparel enchantments
Only certain items can be enchanted with certain enchantments. This is determined by what part of the body the apparel is covering. Unlike weapon enchantments, apparel enchantments do not require recharging and stay enchanted indefinitely. The strength of the enchantment is dependent on the size of soul used to enchant it, except in the case of muffle and water breathing.

Method for maximum strength potions and enchantments

 * Prerequisites: Level 100 in alchemy and enchanting, five perks in alchemist, one perk in Benefactor, five perks in enchanter, one perk in insightful enchanter, three pieces each head and hand apparel with no enchantments, three rings with no enchantments, three amulets with no enchantments, and twelve grand souls.
 * Craft a set of fortify alchemy gear.
 * Craft several potions of fortify enchanting at 30% boost.
 * Craft a new set of fortify alchemy gear at 28% boost with the aid of the potions.
 * Craft several potions of fortify enchanting at 32% boost using the new set of gear.
 * Craft a final set of Fortify Alchemy gear at 29% boost with the aid of the potions.
 * Vampires that have the restoration perk necromage, can reach up to 33% alchemy gear boost and 46% enchanting potion boost. Vampires that have the Restoration perk Necromage and while Enchanting wear Ahzidal's Boots and any three other Relics of Ahzidal, can reach up to 35% alchemy gear boost and 49% enchanting potion boost. (Using Falmer helmets worn over circlets.)

The final set of gear will not improve the results of a fortify enchanting potion but will improve the results for other potions. Additional potions can be brewed to improve enchantments of all types. One common application is to enchant a set of Fortify Smithing gear and combine it with a maximum strength fortify smithing potion to improve weapons and armor.

There is an alternative, that is the exploit of the use of Fortify Restoration potions, which improves several status, including Fortify Enchanting. Also there is there is an added effect called Seeker of Sorcery from the Dragon Born add-on which allows 10% more for enchantments. the effect can be found at the end stage from one of the black books.

Trivia

 * Some enchantment and item combinations that cannot be created at the arcane enchanter can be found in enchanted loot.
 * A space or special character (e.g. !@#$%^&*) in front of the item's name will sort it at the top of the appropriate inventory list. Likewise, starting an item with lower case letters puts it at the bottom of the list.
 * Once an enchantment is selected for an item, it will remain in place until the enchanter is exited or the item is enchanted.
 * For single enchantments that have a pair of effects, e.g. Fiery Soul Trap or fortify and magicka regeneration, the second effect is constant and the number of charges, if applicable, is based on the first effect.
 * Enchantments are affected by perks from their relevant magic school e.g. shock damage is affected by enhanced shock including enchantments with damage effects that are secondary. Drain and damage effects are all destruction school effects.
 * Having a higher enchantment level slightly raises the Dragonborn's defense against enchanted weaponry. This can be anywhere from 1%-15% and does not show as an active effect.
 * Guards may ask to have their weapons enchanted. This cannot actually be done as it is simply a line spoken by the guard when the Dragonborn's enchanting skill is high enough.
 * Even with the extra effect perk, an enchantment cannot be added to an already enchanted item. Any enchantments must be placed the first time an item is enchanted.
 * Vampires, with the necromage perk from restoration, and the extra effect perk can get 50% spell cost reduction on a single piece of clothing by enchanting it with the "fortify (school)" and "fortify (school) and Magicka Regen".
 * The shout, Elemental Fury, can be glitched to become a permanent enchantment that the Dragonborn is able to dis-enchant and enchant other weapons with. This does not replicate the effect of the shout, however, only the visual effects and the sounds.
 * An efficient method to increase enchanting while training up the smithing skill is to enchant the items crafted and sell them for money.