While exploring in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim players will find items called Soul Gems, but they are useless until the spell Soul Trap is obtained. This allows a slain enemy's soul to fill the gem, which can then be used to enchant weapons and armor.
Typically, the harder an enemy is to kill, the bigger the size of gem is needed to trap its soul. This will occur automatically as long as players have used Soul Trap on the enemy before killing them, and have a large enough Soul Gem to capture it. Players can use this guide to find out where to get Soul Trap in Skyrim.
Where to Get Soul Trap in Skyrim
Soul Trap can be found as random loot in Boss Chests, but the best place to get the spell Soul Trap in Skyrim is from mage NPCs. This includes:
- Falion in Morthal.
- Nelacar in The Frozen Hearth.
- Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold.
- Talvas Fathryon in Tel Mithryn.
- Dravynea the Stoneweaver in Kynesgrove.
Court Wizards also sell the Soul Trap tome. Court Wizards that sell Soul Trap include:
- Madena in Dawnstar.
- Calcelmo in Markarth.
- Wylandriah in Riften.
- Sybille Stentor in Solitude.
- Farengar Secret-Fire in Whiterun.
- Wuunferth the Unliving in Windhelm.
Once the Soul Trap tome has been acquired, the spell can be used as a Weapon Enchantment in Skyrim. This means players don't have to cast it anymore, as Soul Trap will be automatically applied when an enemy is struck with that weapon.
Where to Find Soul Gems in Skyrim
Soul Gems come in six different sizes and strengths: Petty, Lesser, Common, Greater, Grand, and Black. Using a filled Soul Gem will almost always destroy it.
Soul Gems are most commonly found where there are mages. So killing a hostile mage or magic enemy can sometimes leave them as loot. They can also be acquired from magic traders, including Court Wizards, and members of the College of Winterhold.
Additionally, while exploring, Soul Gems can be found as random loot, or from mining geode veins. They can be purchased as filled Soul Gems in Skyrim, but these are more expensive than if bought empty.
This shouldn't be an issue if players have plenty of Gold in Skyrim, however. Purchasing a higher strength of Soul Gem instead of locating tough enemies and using Soul Trap can save a lot of time when working toward the best enchantments.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.