Highlights

• Choosing the perfect enchantment depends on player build and preferences, with some being more popular in the Skyrim community.
• Unique, niche enchantments like Huntsman's Prowess and Briarheart Geis offer bonus damage suited for specific character builds.
• Weapons with powerful enchantments like Absorb Health can completely change the gameplay experience in Skyrim.

Depending on what character build the player is going for, choosing the right weapon with the right enchantments can be difficult in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. There are quite a few options, even if the player goes for unique weapons or randomly finds loot in the wild. However, if putting all that on the shoulders of luck alone sounds like a terrible idea, there's always the opportunity to enchant one's own ideal weapons. With the right enchanting perks unlocked, players can make just about any type of weapon.

Choosing a perfect enchantment for that new sword in Skyrim can be easier said than done because of the sheer number of options at a player's behest. The enchantment that a Dragonborn chooses depends on their build, which makes this a rather subjective choice that totally depends on the player and what they prefer. However, most people would argue that some weapon enchantments are simply better than others because of how universal they are compared to others, making them more popular than others within the Skyrim community.

Updated on March 8, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is one of the greatest video games ever made, serving as a reminder that Bethesda still has the potential to do something great despite the poor track record of this studio in recent years. The game is full to the brim with some amazing moments that result from organic exploration, letting players fall in love with this amazing game over and over again. There are many enchantments that players can use to improve their effectiveness in combat, letting them enjoy numerous passive benefits through the simple act of swinging a sword, clubbing an enemy with a mace, shooting enemies from range with an arrow, or anything else along the same lines.

19 Smithing Expertise

School Of Magic: N/A

• Raise the Smithing stat and do 5 shock damage on hit

Smithing Expertise is a famous enchantment effect that's attached to a unique pickaxe called the Notched Pickaxe found on the peak of the Throat of the World. It's an obvious easter egg referencing Minecraft and has a special enchantment that does Shock damage while also increasing the wielder's Smithing skill.

In previous versions of the game, there was a bug that allowed players to disenchant the pickaxe for the special Smithing Expertise enchantment and apply it to other items. So, while it's not an enchantment that can be used anymore, it still deserves a special mention as one of the more unique and out-there enchantments in Skyrim.

18 Huntsman's Prowess

School Of Magic: N/A

• 3 points of bonus damage to animals

Huntsman's Prowess is another unique enchantment, only this time it can actually be learned and applied to other weapons and items. To get it, players will need to disenchant the Poacher's Axe found at Halted Stream Camp.

Huntsman's Prowess is an enchantment in Skyrim that does extra damage to animal enemies. It has no amazing utility like most other enchantments, but for roleplaying purposes, it fits certain character builds like hunters and rangers. That being said, the extra damage isn't all that substantial, and it's only a matter of time before players end up using more relevant and useful weapons in the game instead.

17 Briarheart Geis

School Of Magic: N/A

• 5 points of bonus damage to Nords

The Briarheart Geis is a unique Forsworn axe that is more powerful than its normal counterpart. If that wasn't enough, then this weapon also has a unique enchantment of its own that can be quite useful, albeit only in certain specific situations. With this enchantment, players can deal an extra +5 damage to Nords, which is welcome in fights against the dominant race in Skyrim.

However, what makes the Briarheart Geis unique is that it can't actually be obtained in the game through normal means. Instead, the only way to get this weapon is to use a console command to summon it, which is quite odd indeed. Fans can only speculate why this weapon was removed from the final release, although the fact that it still exists in the game's files means that players can definitely make the most of this weapon regardless.

16 Fiery Soul Trap

School Of Magic: Conjuration

• Burn target for 10 points of damage, hitting them for extra if they're set on fire. If killed within five seconds, fills a Soul Gem

Now, here's an enchantment that's not actually half bad. Fiery Soul Trap is a unique one and is especially useful for players who depend on the Enchanting skill. Not only does the Fiery Soul Trap enchantment do Fire damage, but it also traps the soul into an empty Soul Gem so long as the kill is secured within five seconds of a hit.

It's a pretty cool combination enchantment, which can be learned by grabbing the unique battleaxe from Ironbind Barrow and disenchanting it. The original weapon, Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls, is found on the backside of Gathrik's throne. Given how valuable it is to have powerful Soul Gems for crafting purposes, it's easy to see why the Fiery Soul Trap enchantment can be quite useful for most players in the game.

15 Banish

School Of Magic: Conjuration

• Summoned Daedra are sent back to Oblivion

A bad enchantment is usually a niche enchantment, and Banish is exactly that. It's not the best pick for players unless they plan on taking on an entire army of Daedra, which only happens with a select few special enemy types like mages and powerful boss enemies. However, if players for some reason would like to have a weapon that demolishes Daedra, Banish just might be the pick.

Banish is fantastic when fighting enemies that like to summon two million different Daedra to fight for them. One hit from a Banish weapon will send those pesky summoned creatures right back to Oblivion where they belong. In a way, it's a great crowd-controlling enchantment, but a bit too niche to see a lot of value and use in most character builds.

14 Silent Moons Enchant

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Burns the target for 10-20 points at night

If players get their hands on Lunar weapons found at the Silent Moons Camp north of Whiterun and disenchant them, they can learn a very unique somewhat useless enchantment. These Lunar weapons set enemies on fire whenever the moons are out, making them nice for fighting enemies during nighttime.

This isn't a terrible enchantment, but it relies on the player using the Lunar enchanted weapon at night time. It's more of a cool, niche feature, although the burning effect does vary from 10 to 20 damage points — which isn't too bad. For challenge runs and character builds that rely on roleplaying, the Silent Moon Enchant can be a cool addition.

13 Turn Undead

School Of Magic: Restoration

• Undead enemies up to Level 13 flee for 30 seconds

Draugr and skeletons can be a pain to fight, but luckily there's an enchantment that can make them run away in fear. The Turn Undead enchantment will cause undead enemies to escape the scene of the fight, provided they're within a certain level range. Draugr lords won't be affected by this, usually.

The problem with this enchantment is that it's a bit inconvenient. It forces players to run after their enemies when they might actually want to face them head-on. For a full-on mage build the Turn Undead spell makes sense since mages tend to be weak, but for a build relying on close-range weapons, this is more of an annoyance.

12 Fear

School Of Magic: Illusion

• Enemies up to Level 9 flee for 30 seconds

If players are worried about getting ganged up on by multiple enemies, using an enchantment like Fear could be a legitimate option. Sadly, it only works on enemies of a certain level, and higher-level heavy hitters usually won't be affected by it. Early in the game, it can be very useful, but the game's many beasts and critters quickly outgrow its effects.

Fear causes all weaker enemies to run away for approximately 30 seconds. Again, this is only useful if close-range combat is something the player prefers not to do since otherwise, players will be chasing after their enemies, which is its own annoying ordeal. Regardless, the novelty of sending enemies cowering in fear after a single swing of this blade makes it infinitely clear why so many people love this enchantment on their weapons.

11 Shock Damage

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Enemies take bonus shock damage to both health and magicka

Shock has often been considered the weakest element of the three available in Skyrim, and that definitely holds true. Only a few enemies in Skyrim respond to Shock spells properly, and usually, those are enemies that rely on Magicka since Shock damage not only does regular damage but also drains their spellcasting potential.

The Shock Damage enchantment is a decent elemental enchantment to have, but compared to Frost and Flames, it isn't as useful or versatile. Not all enemies will rely on Magicka. In fact, most enemies will rely more on Stamina and massive health pools. Regardless, Shock Damage is a blast to use simply when players see their enemies being electrocuted with every swing of their weapon.

10 Absorb Magicka

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Absorb enemy magicka on hit

If the thought of facing off against powerful mages or other magic users gives the player nightmares, then going for something that counters them is the best option. Absorb Magicka is an enchantment that basically drains Magicka from the target and transfers it to the player.

This is especially great if the player themselves relies on having a large Magicka pool that barely drains out, but hates dealing with Magicka-using enemies. The Spellsword build can really benefit from this enchantment since they both require Magicka and can also use a sword with this enchantment applied to it.

9 Absorb Stamina

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Absorb enemy stamina on hit

Should the worst enemy of the player be a powerful close-quarter warrior with the ability to put in a ton of damage with a succession of secondary attacks, enchanting a weapon with Absorb Stamina might be a great way to deal with them. It goes without saying that, in a game where stamina management is imperative in combat, the Absorb Stamina enchantment can potentially turn combat into a breeze.

Absorb Stamina is especially great for players who have characters that rely on having loads of Stamina, such as two-handed combatants who like to fight at close range. Heavy armor users and anyone with a two-handed weapon specialization will also greatly benefit from this enchantment, as it essentially provides them with a near-infinite Stamina pool.

8 Paralyze

School Of Magic: Alteration

• Chance of paralyzing an enemy for 10 seconds

Players might see the Alteration school of magic as a bit niche, and while it's true to a degree, there are still a few hidden gems within it. Paralyze is one of the spells of this school, which can be added as an enchantment to a weapon, and can be surprisingly useful in a pinch. It helps that this enchantment is extremely satisfying when used in combat as well!

Paralyze basically freezes a character up for about 10 seconds, after the game calculates whether or not the enemy's capable of resisting the spell's power or not. Note that some strong enemies completely ignore this spell. Like Fear and Turn Undead, it's usually the strongest at lower levels in the early game. However, players shouldn't rely on this enchantment against strong enemies who can shrug off paralysis like it's nothing.

7 Frost Damage

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Enemies take bonus frost damage to both health and stamina

Good old Frost Damage is one of the easiest and most common enchantments to find in Skyrim, and because of that, players will often end up carrying at least one weapon with this enchantment on it. That being said, it's not a bad enchantment at all despite being easy to find in loot. Frost Damage is great because it slows the enemy down, and without proper resistance, it can be devastating against enemies particularly weak to frost magic.

Any player who puts this enchantment on any sword or bow, and hits the target will make them suffer from the slowness and chipped Stamina caused by it. This makes most enemies affected by Frost Damage an easy target to take out, trivializing a combat system that is already pretty exploitable as is.

6 Fire Damage

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Burns enemies and does extra damage to enemies who are already on fire

The perk of Fire Damage is that it will continue to affect the target over time with flames. This can be a great annoyance to them and will allow the player to rack up damage against their enemies. It's also extremely flashy and quite satisfying to see enemies be incinerated into nothing! Moreover, Fire Damage interacts with the environment quite nicely, especially if there are oil surfaces or anything explosive around.

Although a very basic and common source, fire is still an excellent source of extra elemental damage. A weapon with this enchantment will send enemies into a frenzy as they burst into flames with a single swing of the player's weapon. Suffice it to say, this makes for an incredibly satisfying sight, and it's easy to see why any weapon with this enchantment will become the Dragonborn's favorite in no time at all!

5 Chaos Damage

School Of Magic: Destruction

• 50% chance to inflict 25 points of fire, frost, and shock damage

Chaos Damage is a feature exclusively found in the Dragonborn DLC. It's one of the most powerful and unique enchantments in the entire game. This enchantment is the king of all Destruction magic enchantments because it has a 50% chance to dish out all three elemental types of Destruction spell damage: frost, fire, and sparks.

As such, it can affect all three of the enemy's basic attributes as well, which means the player will never have to choose which category to specialize in. At worst, the enemy will take damage to their health, stamina, and Magicka pool, making this an absolute nightmare to deal with. Various Stahlrim weapons might carry this enchantment, as will the unique weapon Champion's Cudgel, which can be looted off of General Falx Carius during the quest March of the Dead.

4 Stamina Damage

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Enemies take stamina damage

Very similar in theory to the Absorb Stamina enchantment, Stamina Damage might be often considered as something situational or very niche. However, think about how many times the Dragonborn is pitted against heavy attacking bandit leaders or Draugr Lords. This weapon enchantment is definitely a powerful one.

One hit from a weapon enchanted with Stamina Damage will remove 15 Stamina out of an enemy's stamina pool, which is especially good after they've used a power attack on the Dragonborn. They'll be rendered pretty much useless after a few hits and will be unable to perform power attacks. This makes them a sitting duck for the player, who can wail at them without any fear of facing a retaliation that's actually meaningful.

3 Magicka Damage

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Enemies take magicka damage

Just like Absorb Magicka, Magicka Damage attacks the Magicka pool of the enemy and is especially insidious against mages. When dealing with particularly strong Magicka users, having an enchantment like this on the player's side will make things much easier and turn the tide of battle in an instant. Since mages tend to rely solely on their magic and will only ever carry a dagger as a weapon, it's a fantastic way of essentially disarming an enemy with a few hits.

Most magic-wielding enemies will turn into helpless living targets after this enchantment is used wisely against them in combat. This enchantment is especially useful against some of the game's tougher enemies who spam magic against the Dragonborn since this can nullify their effectiveness in combat quite a bit.

2 Soul Trap

School Of Magic: Conjuration

• Enemies that are killed within a set amount of time fill up a Soul Gem

Some might argue that Soul Trap isn't an all too important enchantment, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Any player wanting to use weapon enchantments regularly will need to have charged Soul Gems at their disposal, which can either be bought or charged manually with souls.

The Soul Trap weapon enchantment in Skyrim makes getting Soul Gems more affordable for the player. It's especially great on weapons that can be used as one-hit weapons after the target is already weakened, in order to secure a filled soul gem within a short time span. It helps that Soul Gems are incredibly valuable too, and players can amass a quick fortune by selling these items at high rates.

1 Absorb Health

School Of Magic: Destruction

• Absorb enemy health on hit

There isn't anything better than an enchantment that takes health from the opponent and transfers it to the player themselves. It's why Absorb Health is the best weapon enchantment in Skyrim since it can make fights much shorter than they would usually be. It also allows the player to save up greatly on potions or Restoration spells by not having to constantly heal themselves.

Those looking for the best weapon enchantment in Skyrim don't have to look any further than this, as Absorb Health is an absolute game-changer and thus an easy pick for most. Players can approach combat mindlessly as they hack away at their enemies, being healed almost instantly while enemies struggle to make a single notable dent in the Dragonborn's HP.