Summary
- Absorb Health and Absorb Stamina synergize to keep the Dragonborn fighting longer.
- Soul Trap, combined with any damage enchantment, will fill soul gems faster and dispatch enemies swiftly.
- Shock Damage combined with Absorb Magicka renders mages powerless in battle.
A standard sword is all well and good, but in the world of Skyrim, a sword that can make enemies fall to the ground or burst into flame is leagues better. That's why Enchanting is such a powerful skill. With it, players can place extra effects on their bows, daggers, axes, or whatever other weapons they choose, adding even more customizability to the game's flexible play styles.
With the highest perk in the Enchanting skill tree, Extra Enchantment, the Dragonborn can apply two enchantments to a single item. There are endless combinations players can create with this perk, but some weapon enchantments synergize better than others. Here are some of the best enchantment combinations to put on any weapon in Skyrim.
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7 Absorb Health + Absorb Stamina
Drain The Enemy's Life Force
This combination might seem like a boring one, but sometimes the basics are the most essential. As the names suggest, these enchantments drain the target's health and stamina, and replenish the user's respective pool as it does so.
Ultimately, these simple but powerful effects keep the Dragonborn fighting longer. For any player who relies primarily on weapons to fight, stamina is essential to making effective attacks. And when it comes to health, any means by which a player can heal themselves during combat is a great boon in an RPG, lowering the need for potions and spells.
6 Soul Trap + Any Damage Enchantment
Fill Soul Gems Faster
The Soul Trap enchantment has the same effect as the spell it's named for: when a target it strikes dies in a certain timeframe, it will fill a soul gem if one is available. For players who make use of the Enchanting skill — or even just enchanted weapons that need recharging now and again — it's essential to keep at least one Soul Trap weapon handy.
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The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim allows players to create magic builds focused on Destruction, with these spells being the best to deal the most damage.
When paired with the Fire, Frost, or Shock Damage enchantments, targets struck by these weapons will die even faster, making sure that their soul does indeed get trapped. A weapon with this combination is perfect for players looking to farm souls for enchantments.
This combination is even more effective with the Fiery Soul Trap enchantment, which causes fire damage in addition to soul trap. Add another damage enchantment on top of this to make it even more deadly.
5 Shock Damage + Absorb Magicka
Render Mages Powerless
The Absorb Magicka enchantment saps an opponent's spellcasting force while strengthening the user's. Shock Damage, meanwhile, affects both health and Magicka, creating two sources that diminish the target's ability to cast effective spells.
It's perfect for fighting mages, and even better for a Dragonborn who likes to supplement their swordplay with sorcery. By draining the target's Magicka for themselves, players can more easily cast spells to buff themselves in battle, whether that's by healing themselves, increasing their armor rating, or summoning atronachs to help them out.
4 Frost Damage + Absorb Stamina
Weaken Foes For The Kill
Just as the above combination is perfect for dealing with mages, this one is ideal for taking on tanks. For heavily armored foes who like to come out swinging with power attacks, this combination of enchantments will render them almost harmless.
Frost damage targets both health and stamina. Combined with the additional stamina damage, the Dragonborn's foes will barely be able to lift their heavy two-handed weapons, much less perform power attacks. Since the player absorbed that stamina for themselves, though, they'll have no issue dealing out devastating blows of their own.
3 Fear + Frost Damage
Foes Take Damage While They Flee
The one downside of the Fear effect is that it's hard to deal damage to foes while they're running away in terror. It can be helpful for thinning out large groups of enemies, but eventually, they'll return as strong as ever — perhaps even having regained some health and stamina.
Adding a damaging enchantment to the mix ensures that enemies are weakened as they flee. Fire or Shock damage will work too, but Frost is the best to use in tandem with Fear, because it slows enemies down as well. Affected enemies will flee from combat and can't attack, but with their slowed movement, they won't get too far from the Dragonborn's deadly blade.
2 Turn Undead + Fire Damage
The Burning Draugr Will Run
Turn Undead, which causes undead enemies to flee battle, has the same drawback as Fear (since it has essentially the same effect). For that reason, adding a damaging enchantment can be helpful for Turn Undead as well.
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Some quests in Skyrim can reward players with high stat gear early on, and these are the quests players should spend their time on before others.
However, when it comes to dealing with draugr and skeletons, Fire is the best damaging enchantment to use here. Undead enemies in Skyrim usually have a weakness to fire damage, making it the most effiecient choice. The Dragonborn can force the undead to flee as their bones burn, making this combination perfect for a holy warrior-style build.
1 Paralyze + Absorb Health
Terrorize A Helpless Enemy
The Paralyze enchantment is perhaps the most overpowered in Skyrim. If the target fails to resist, they are rendered completely immobile, falling to the ground. With their opponent helpless, players are free to wail on them, getting in as many hits as they can before they stand back up — often only to be paralyzed again.
When combined with the Absorb Health enchantment, this can be absolutely devastating. Not only will the Dragonborn get easy hits on their paralyzed foes; they'll restore health while they do. Draining their enemies' HP and restoring their own, all while the target can't fight back, turns the player into an utter terror. Battling even the toughest bandit chief becomes a breeze.
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Creation
- Expansions
- Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
