Enchanting Weapons in Oblivion: A Comprehensive Guide

Enchanting your weapons in Oblivion Remastered is a fantastic way to enhance your gear and boost your damage output. This is particularly useful when facing enemies like ghosts that can only be harmed by magical weapons. You may have come across some enchanted weapons already, but understanding how to recharge their unique abilities is essential.

First, you’ll need to locate an Altar of Enchanting to begin enchanting in Oblivion Remastered. One convenient option is Frostcrag Spire, situated just above the letter U in “County” on the game map. Alternatively, you can join the Mages Guild and gain access to the Altars at the Arcane University, found in the Chironasium and the Arch-Mage’s quarters. However, reaching the university requires completing several quests, making Frostcrag Spire a more straightforward choice. Once you find the altar, you can start the enchanting process.

How to Enchant Weapons & Recharge Soul Gems

Enchant Weapons at Altars of Enchanting with Soul Gems

Enchanting a weapon involves four steps once you find an Altar of Enchanting. Initially, you’ll select the item you want to enchant. Next, choose a Soul Gem; the quality of the gem will dictate the strength of your enchantment. Then, you’ll see a list of potential effects to apply to your weapon, which can range from specific damage types to static enhancements.

Finally, you’ll encounter sliders that allow you to modify various aspects of the effect. For example, if you choose a damage effect, you can adjust the damage amount, the area of effect, and the duration. Increasing these sliders will affect how many charges each use of the weapon consumes, how many uses you get before needing a recharge, and the overall enchantment cost. These stats are represented by lightning bolt, candle, and coin symbols at the bottom of the screen.

When your weapon runs out of charge, you can recharge it using a Soul Gem from your inventory, which will show a menu of your enchanted items. This menu displays how many extra charges the selected gem will offer for the chosen weapon. It’s worth noting that you don’t need to be at an Altar of Enchanting to recharge your weapons.

How to Recharge Soul Gems

To refill depleted Soul Gems, you will need the Soul Trap spell. Cast this spell on an enemy just before you defeat it, and once it dies, its soul will fill your gem. You can acquire this spell from a Mage’s Guild spell merchant; for instance, I got mine from Druja in Skingrad. You’ll require 80 Magicka to cast the spell, which generally means having an Intelligence score of at least 40, unless boosted by your race or Birthsign. This isn’t a high barrier to entry, making it accessible for most character classes.

You can also learn more advanced versions of the spell to charge more powerful gems. For example, the Mystic Emporium in the Imperial City Market District sells Greater Soul Trap, which can be used to create Greater Soul Gems. Since enchanted items offer a significant advantage in Oblivion Remastered, it’s definitely worth learning at least a basic level of Soul Trap to help keep your weapons powered up.