To recharge enchanted weapons in Skyrim, the player needs to use Soul Gems. These are special items filled with the souls of defeated creatures. Below is a detailed guide on how to charge your enchanted weapons using Soul Gems in Skyrim.
Understanding Soul Gems
Soul Gems come in different sizes, and they must be filled with souls before they can be used to charge enchanted weapons. The sizes include Petty, Lesser, Common, Greater, Grand, and Black. Each size corresponds to the soul’s strength that it can contain:
- Petty: Creature level 1 to 3
- Lesser: Creature level 4 to 15
- Common: Creature level 16 to 27
- Greater: Creature level 28 to 37
- Grand: Creature level 38 or higher
- Black: NPC souls (human-like characters)
Note that Black Soul Gems or Azura’s Star are required to capture the souls of humanoid NPCs.
Filling Soul Gems
To fill a Soul Gem, players need to use the Soul Trap spell or a weapon enchanted with the Soul Trap effect. The steps to capture a soul are as follows:
- Cast Soul Trap: Use the Soul Trap spell or hit the creature with a Soul Trap-enchanted weapon.
- Have an Empty Soul Gem: Ensure there’s an appropriate empty Soul Gem in your inventory to capture the creature’s soul.
- Defeat the Creature: After casting the spell or damaging the creature, defeat it within the duration of the Soul Trap effect (60 seconds by default).
- Capture the Soul: The soul will automatically fill the appropriate Soul Gem in your inventory.
Obtaining Soul Gems
Empty Soul Gems can be found throughout Skyrim. Here are some ways to obtain them:
- Loot: Found as loot in dungeons, chests, and enemy corpses.
- Merchants: Purchased from mages and general goods traders.
- Harvesting: Mined from geode veins in Blackreach.
Ways to Obtain Soul Trap
If you don’t yet possess the Soul Trap spell or items, you have several options:
- Soul Trap Spell Tome: Purchased from various magic vendors across Skyrim (e.g., Farengar Secret-Fire in Whiterun).
- Enchant Weapons: Find or enchant weapons with the Soul Trap effect. Various vendors sell ready-made enchanted weapons, or you can enchant your own at an Arcane Enchanter.
- Scroll of Soul Trap: Obtainable in Tel Mithryn on Solstheim if you have the Dragonborn DLC.
- Soul Stealer Perk: Unlock this perk in the Conjuration skill tree to add the Soul Trap effect to bound weapons.
Recharging Enchanted Weapons
Once you have filled Soul Gems, you can use them to recharge your enchanted weapons. This can be done directly from your inventory:
- Open Inventory: Access your inventory through the menu.
- Select the Enchanted Weapon: Choose the enchanted weapon that needs recharging.
- Choose a Soul Gem: Select a filled Soul Gem to use for recharging. The amount of charge restored will depend on the type of Soul Gem used.
It’s essential to manage your filled Soul Gems properly, as different weapon enchantments and usage frequencies will require different amounts of soul energy.
By understanding how to acquire, fill, and use Soul Gems, players can keep their enchanted weapons at full power, enhancing their gameplay experience in Skyrim.
