Enchanting is the skill that quietly makes every other skill in Skyrim better. It starts slow, the first few levels feel like busywork, and then one day you are wearing gear that makes Destruction spells free. Honestly? That glow up is one of the best feelings in the game.
Let’s walk through this together: how Enchanting actually works, the fastest way to reach 100, which perks matter and the enchantments worth putting on your final gear.
Enchanting Basics
All the work happens at an Arcane Enchanter. You will find one at the College of Winterhold, in most court wizard quarters, in a few shops and in plenty of player homes. Every enchanter offers the same two jobs.
- Disenchant: destroy an enchanted item to learn its effect. You lose the item, but you can now put that effect on anything compatible.
- Enchant: combine an unenchanted item, a known effect and a filled soul gem. Bigger souls mean stronger effects and more charges on weapons.
- Recharge: top up an enchanted weapon from your inventory with a filled soul gem. No enchanter needed.
Soul gems are filled with Soul Trap, either the Conjuration spell or a weapon that carries the effect. Kill something within the effect window and its soul jumps into the smallest empty gem that fits.
How Enchanting XP Works
This is the part most people get wrong, and it changes everything about how you level.
Crafting an enchanted item gives a fixed amount of XP. The item’s value, the effect you pick and the size of the soul gem make no difference at all. A grand soul on a Daedric sword gives the same XP as a petty soul on an iron dagger. Disenchanting works differently: XP depends on the effect and its strength, apparel usually gives more than weapons, and only the first item per effect counts.
No Stress: that means you never need to burn a grand soul gem on practice items. Save the big gems for the gear you actually keep.
How to Level Enchanting to 100
Here’s the chill version of the routine that works on every character.
- Disenchant everything new. Every time you pick up an enchanted item with an effect you do not know yet, break it down. Free XP and a new option for later.
- Mass craft cheap items. Forge iron daggers (one iron ingot and one leather strip each) or cheap jewelry, then enchant each one using petty or lesser soul gems. Damage Stamina and Turn Undead are easy effects to learn early.
- Sell the results. Enchanted daggers sell for more than the materials cost, so the grind pays for itself. Banish is the most profitable weapon effect once you learn it.
- Stack XP boosts. The Mage Stone makes magic skills, Enchanting included, level 20% faster. The Lover Stone adds 15% to everything. Sleep in a bed first for the Well Rested bonus.
- Pay for training. Up to five sessions per level. Sergius Turrianus at the College of Winterhold trains to Expert, while Hamal in Markarth and Neloth at Tel Mithryn on Solstheim train to Master.
- Read the skill books. Enchanter’s Primer, Catalogue of Armor Enchantments, Catalogue of Weapon Enchantments, A Tragedy in Black and Twin Secrets each give a free level. Our skill book locations guide shows where they are.
Trust me on this: if you own the Dawnguard Aetherial Crown, you can hold two standing stone powers at once. Mage plus Lover makes your soul gem grind noticeably quicker.
Keeping Soul Gems Stocked
Buy every empty petty and lesser gem from court wizards and general goods merchants, and fill them with a Soul Trap weapon while you clear a dungeon. Once you finish Azura’s quest, Azura’s Star (or the Black Star) gives you a reusable gem that never runs out.
Enchanting Perks
The tree has 9 perks and costs 13 perk points to fill completely, so plan where the points go.
| Perk | Skill needed | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Enchanter (5 ranks) | 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 | New enchantments 20% to 100% stronger |
| Soul Squeezer | 20 | Soul gems give extra magicka when recharging |
| Fire Enchanter | 30 | Fire enchantments 25% stronger |
| Frost Enchanter | 40 | Frost enchantments 25% stronger |
| Soul Siphon | 40 | Killing creatures (not people) recharges your weapon a little |
| Insightful Enchanter | 50 | Skill enchantments on armor 25% stronger |
| Storm Enchanter | 50 | Shock enchantments 25% stronger |
| Corpus Enchanter | 70 | Health, Magicka and Stamina enchantments on armor stronger |
| Extra Effect | 100 | Two enchantments on one item |
The Payoff: all five Enchanter ranks first, then Insightful Enchanter for skill boosts. Extra Effect is the real prize, since it doubles what every slot can do. Elemental perks are only worth it if you use elemental weapons.
Best Enchantments to Use
Armor and Jewelry
- Fortify Destruction (and other schools): cuts spell cost. Destruction fits on a helmet or circlet, chest, ring and necklace. With the perks done, four pieces bring Destruction spells close to free, a dream for a mage build.
- Fortify Archery, One-Handed or Two-Handed: more weapon damage. Archers stacking this on gloves, ring and helmet are why the stealth archer build feels so strong.
- Fortify Health, Magicka or Stamina: the safe picks for survival.
- Muffle: on boots, it quiets your footsteps for sneaking.
- Waterbreathing: a quality of life pick for a helmet or necklace.
Weapons
- Absorb Health: heals you on every hit.
- Paralyze: freezes enemies in place for a few seconds when it triggers.
- Fire, Frost and Shock: simple extra damage that scales with the matching perks.
- Soul Trap: keeps your gems filled while you fight.
Mixing magic and steel? A battlemage build gets a lot out of Fortify Destruction on armor plus Absorb Health on the sword.
Skyrim Enchanting FAQ
What is the fastest way to level Enchanting in Skyrim?
Disenchant every new effect, then mass enchant cheap iron daggers or jewelry with petty soul gems. XP per enchantment is fixed, so cheap gems work just as well as big ones.
Does soul gem size affect Enchanting XP?
No. Crafting XP is the same for every soul size and item. Soul size only changes how strong the enchantment is.
Who trains Enchanting to Master?
Hamal in Markarth and Neloth at Tel Mithryn on Solstheim. Sergius Turrianus at the College of Winterhold trains up to Expert.
How many perk points does the Enchanting tree need?
13 points for all 9 perks, including the five ranks of Enchanter.
The Vibe: Enchanting rewards patience more than skill. Disenchant everything, keep a stack of petty gems, and the levels roll in while you play. Skyrim still pulls a steady crowd on PC, as our Skyrim Special Edition player stats show, so you are in good company. For more, head to our Skyrim hub. You’ve got this.
