Soul Gem (Skyrim)

Soul Gems are naturally-occurring magic stones that house the souls of the dead. Used for enchanting weapons and armor at an arcane enchanter or for recharging previously enchanted weapons, soul gems come in various sizes and strengths: petty, lesser, common, greater, grand and black. Capturing souls in soul gems is typically done with the Soul Trap spell of the Conjuration school of Magicka, or with a weapon that has received such an enchantment. With the exception of Azura's Star and The Black Star, using a filled soul gem destroys it.

Acquisition
Soul gems can be obtained by slaying mages, magically-affiliated enemies, by purchasing them from magic shops and court wizards, mining geode veins or found as randomized loot in containers.

Mining
In Blackreach, the Dwemer underground realm, there are geode deposits. These yield soul gems with random values ranging from petty to black soul gems.

Purchasing
Filled and empty soul gems can be purchased from general goods merchants, court magicians and some members of the College of Winterhold. Filled gems are three to four times the price of empty ones.

Dungeon loot

 * In Dwemer ruins, most Dwarven automatons contain soul gems, ranging from petty to grand. They may or may not be filled.
 * Vampire Lairs
 * Nordic ruins
 * There are also a number of soul gems that can be found at the College of Winterhold, most of which cannot be taken without stealing. Becoming Arch-Mage revokes this crime, unless the soul gems are owned by another member of the college.
 * During a quest for Drevis Neloren, one to three free, empty soul gems of any size can be obtained.
 * Several unmarked locations on the world map.
 * The enemies in the Soul Cairn always drop soul gems, ranging from petty to black, which may or may not be filled.

Soul trapping
Trapping souls in soul gems requires the conjuration spell Soul Trap or a soul trap enchanted weapon. Killing an enemy with the spell cast upon them or using the enchantment draws their soul into one gem of the appropriate size. If no gem of the appropriate size exists in the inventory, the soul is captured by a higher-capacity gem. If there is no empty gem large enough, the soul is lost. An example of a weapon enchanted with the ability to capture souls is the Mace of Molag Bal. In, souls can be captured by activating a soul fissure in the Soul Cairn, so long as an empty soul gem is in the inventory.

Bound weapons
Bound weapons such as the bound sword or bow can automatically soul trap attacked enemies if the Conjuration perk, Soul Stealer, has been taken.

Soul size
Soul size is determined by enemy type. Generally, smaller or lower-leveled creatures possess lesser, petty, or common souls, such as foxes, Falmer or chaurus. Larger or higher-leveled creatures possess greater or grand souls, such as mammoths (grand) or giants (greater).

Humanoid races possess grand souls, but can only be trapped in a black soul gem or the Daedric artifact the Black Star, which is obtained through the quest of the same name. Falmer, draugr and Rieklings are an exception, as their souls may be captured in standard gems.

Types
Soul gems are separated into types based on the capacity they can carry. The soul gem types are petty, lesser, common, greater, grand and black.

Souls
The following are creatures that give souls:

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Petty Souls

 * Chicken
 * Cow
 * Deer
 * Dog
 * Draugr
 * Elk
 * Fox
 * Frostbite Spider
 * Goat
 * Horker
 * Mudcrab
 * Rabbit
 * Sabre Cat
 * Skeever
 * Skeleton
 * Slaughterfish
 * Wisp
 * Wolf
 * }
 * Horker
 * Mudcrab
 * Rabbit
 * Sabre Cat
 * Skeever
 * Skeleton
 * Slaughterfish
 * Wisp
 * Wolf
 * }
 * Skeleton
 * Slaughterfish
 * Wisp
 * Wolf
 * }
 * Wolf
 * }
 * }

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Lesser Souls

 * Alpha Wolf
 * Bear
 * Chaurus
 * Draugr Overlord
 * Draugr Wight
 * Falmer
 * Falmer Skulker
 * Flame Atronach
 * Giant Frostbite Spider
 * Horse
 * Ice Wolf
 * Ice Wraith
 * Restless Draugr
 * -| Snowy Sabre Cat|-
 * Spriggan
 * Troll
 * Werewolf
 * Wounded Frostbite Spider
 * }
 * Horse
 * Ice Wolf
 * Ice Wraith
 * Restless Draugr
 * -| Snowy Sabre Cat|-
 * Spriggan
 * Troll
 * Werewolf
 * Wounded Frostbite Spider
 * }
 * Troll
 * Werewolf
 * Wounded Frostbite Spider
 * }
 * Wounded Frostbite Spider
 * }

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Common Souls

 * Cave Bear
 * Chaurus Reaper
 * Curalmil
 * Draugr Deathlord
 * Draugr Scourge
 * Draugr Scourge Lord
 * Falmer Gloomlurker
 * Falmer Nightprowler
 * Falmer Shadowmaster
 * Frost Atronach
 * Frost Troll
 * Hagraven
 * Hulking Draugr
 * Riekling
 * Falmer Nightprowler
 * Falmer Shadowmaster
 * Frost Atronach
 * Frost Troll
 * Hagraven
 * Hulking Draugr
 * Riekling
 * Frost Troll
 * Hagraven
 * Hulking Draugr
 * Riekling
 * Hulking Draugr
 * Riekling
 * Riekling


 * Snow Bear
 * Spriggan Matron
 * Udefrykte
 * }
 * Udefrykte
 * }
 * }

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Greater Souls

 * Chaurus Hunter
 * Draugr Deathlord
 * Giant
 * Storm Atronach
 * Wispmother
 * Burnt Spriggan
 * Storm Atronach
 * Wispmother
 * Burnt Spriggan
 * Wispmother
 * Burnt Spriggan
 * Burnt Spriggan


 * }

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Grand Souls

 * Corrupted Shade
 * Daedra
 * Dragon Priest
 * Draugr Death Overlord
 * Falmer Warmonger
 * Dragon Priest
 * Draugr Death Overlord
 * Falmer Warmonger
 * Falmer Warmonger
 * Falmer Warmonger


 * Guardian Saerek
 * Guardian Torsten
 * Mammoth
 * Riekling Charger
 * Mammoth
 * Riekling Charger
 * Riekling Charger
 * Riekling Charger


 * }

Black Soul Gems
In addition to the creatures above, black soul gems can be used for gathering humanoid souls such as:
 * Any character, hostile or otherwise, from any of the ten playable races.
 * Dremora
 * Vampire
 * Forsworn Briarheart

After a black soul gem is used, the soul used is sent to the Soul Cairn, a plane of Oblivion where only the dead and the undead can exist, under normal circumstances.

Trivia

 * The soul gem designs appear similar to Aura Quartz, special quartz crystals that are put in a high temperature vacuum and have had either gold, titanium, iron or other metals fused on in powdered form. It gives the crystal different colors of metallic sheen, varying from transparent to opaque.

Bugs

 * Soul gems that have been self-filled (using the Soul Trap enchantment or spell) can lose their souls when dropped or stored in containers. They also will not stack (i.e. each one appears separately in inventory). This happens regardless of whether the soul is the "proper" size for the gem (e.g. a common soul in a common soul gem).
 * The only workaround for this is to keep all self-filled soul gems in inventory. Despite claims to the contrary, this has not been fixed in any patch.