Most Valuable Enchantments in Skyrim (Ranked)

ByValentina Kraljik Published onOctober 2, 2022April 25, 2023

Enchanting for profit in Skyrim is nothing new. You can easily come across everything you need in terms of materials, and you can raise your enchanting skill while you’re at it. Not all enchantments in Skyrim are equally profitable. As a general rule when it comes to weapons, the enchantments with the least uses are regarded as the most expensive. When it comes to armor and other apparel, the most potent enchantments are the most expensive.

In today’s post, we’re going to bring you the list of the most valuable enchantments in Skyrim. Our list is going to be sorted by weapons and apparel respectively since different rules apply. If you want to know how to make money off of enchanting in Skyrim, stick with us!

Most valuable weapon enchantments in Skyrim

As we’ve already mentioned the base cost of enchantment is determined by the number of possible uses. That means that weapons enchanted with an effect that has the least uses are regarded as the more expensive. Enchanting weapons in Skyrim is overall more lucrative than enchanting apparel. Let’s see the most valuable weapon enchantments in Skyrim.

3. Absorb health

The third most valuable weapon enchantment is Absorb Health. Absorb Health effect, when applied to your weapon drains your target of health and transfers it to you. Even though it sounds like this enchantment belongs to the restoration school it’s actually one of the destruction school enchantments.

aborsb health — Absorb health enchantment

Absorb Health can be found on all weapons that have absorption, consuming, devouring, leeching, and vampire effects. Absorb Health can be applied to all weapon types of all qualities.

sword of absorb health — Absorb health effect applied to weapon

2. Paralyze

The second most valuable weapon enchantment in the game is paralyze enchantment. It applies a paralyzing effect to your weapon making your target frozen in place and unable to move. Paralyze enchantment does not deal any damage but is regarded as extremely powerful because there is no “cure paralysis” spell or potion effect like in the previous Elder Scrolls Games.

Paralysis enchantment can be found on all weapons that have immobilizing, petrifying, and stunning effects. If you want to purchase a weapon with paralysis enchantment you’re going to have to wait till you hit level 22.

Paralysis enchantment can be applied to all weapon types and all qualities.

bow of paralyze — Paralyze effect when applied to weapon

3. Banish

Banish enchantment applies an effect to your weapon that instantly banishes summoned Daedra back to Oblivion. This enchantment is not only convenient when you’re dealing with conjurers, but it’s also the most profitable enchantment in the game.

Banish effect can be learned from all found weapons that have annihilating, banishing, or expelling effects.

When it comes to buying the weapons with this enchantment, like with paralyze effect, you’re going to have to put that off until you’re at least level 22.

sword of banishing — Banish effect applied to a weapon

Banish effect can be applied to all weapon types of all qualities.

Most valuable apparel enchantments in Skyrim

Enchanting Apparel is a bit different than enchanting weapons. Since apparels have infinite uses, the base cost of an enchantment depends on the size of a soul gem used. Items enchanted with grand soul gems are more powerful and thus more expensive than apparel enchanted with petty soul gems. The next part of our guide brings you the most valuable apparel enchantments with both grand and petty soul gems.

3. Waterbreathing

Waterbreathing enchantment applies a water-breathing effect to your apparel that allows you to breathe underwater. It’s an extremely profitable enchantment because its potency remains the same if you use both grand and petty soul gems.

Waterbreathing can be applied to necklaces, amulets, rings, helmets, and circlets. If you’re looking to earn some easy but fast money in Skyrim you can always enchant your cheap worthless jewelry with this effect and sell it at double and sometimes triple the original price.

Even though Waterbreathing is extremely useful I should mention that it’s difficult to find as well. Waterbreathing is available from the start and has a fixed drop rate. Once you progress through the game all other enchantments will take priority when it comes to loot tables.

circlet of waterbreathing — Watebreathing effect applied to a weapon

Your best bet for finding an item with this effect is to visit merchants regularly, especially jewelers in Markarth, Riften, Solitude, Whiterun, and Solstheim.

2. Muffle

Muffle enchantment reduces the noise generated by armor and your footsteps when you move. Like waterbreathing it’s extremely profitable to enchant with muffle effects with petty soul gems as the potency of the enchantment remains the same while using petty and grand soul gems.

Muffle enchantment can be found on all boots with muffling effect. Although profitable and valuable, Muffle enchantment can be difficult to come across. Like waterbreathing effect, muffle has a fixed drop rate as well which does not scale with your level. If you progress enough through the game and reach level 70, it might be impossible to acquire this enchantment due to more powerful enchantments taking priority in the loot tables.

boots of muffling — Muffle effect applied on boots

What makes this enchantment rarer than watebreathing is the fact that there are no guaranteed disenchantable items with this effect in the game.

Muffle can be applied to all types of boots of all qualities.

1. Fortify Sneak

The most valuable apparel enchantment in the game is Fortify Sneak, however, this only applies if you use grand soul gems to apply the effects. Fortify Sneak effect decreases chances of being seen while sneaking.

Fortify sneak can be found on all items that have sneaking effect applied. And unlike our previous two apparel enchantments, it’s easier to find even during the late-game stage. Fortify sneak can be applied to all boots, necklaces, and rings.

necklace of sneaking — Fortify sneak effect applied to a necklace

There are several guaranteed drops of apparel enchanted with fortify sneak, those however cannot be disenchanted so you are going to find an item with this effect either through random loot or through merchants.

To sum everything up, the most valuable weapon enchantment in the game is banish enchantment due to having the least amount of uses. When it comes to apparel, at lower levels you might want to try your luck with waterbreathing and muffle effects. As soon as grand soul gems become commonplace and profitable you might want to get your hands on fortify sneak enchantment, as it is the most profitable apparel enchantment in the game.

Valentina Kraljik

Valentina Kraljik is a writer and editor at Game Horizon with a deep love for everything related to video games. With a degree in Information Sciences, she brings a well-informed and unique perspective to her work. Valentina's writing is known for covering a wide range of video game genres, but she truly shines in her expertise in open-world RPGs. From offbeat euro-jank games like "Gothic" to critically acclaimed titles like "The Witcher," Valentina is well-versed in this exciting genre. Her passion for imaginative storytelling is reflected in the topics she writes about, with favorites like "Disco Elysium," "Elder Scrolls: Morrowind," "World of Warcraft," and "Mass Effect" influencing her tastes in games. Even though nothing beats a good high-fantasy setting, she often wanders into the realm of first-person shooters, occasionally even hitting the target. With a commitment to objectivity and insightful analysis, Valentina strives to bring a fresh perspective to the subjects she covers, even when exploring genres that may be unfamiliar to her. Her blend of academic rigor and creative flair sets her apart in the world of media writing.

Starfield Beats Skyrim’s “Concurrent Players Record,” but the Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story

ByValentina Kraljik Published onSeptember 11, 2023September 11, 2023

Starfield surpasses Skyrims concurrent player count

Bethesda’s most recent launch of Starfield promised to be the largest in the company’s history, just like the massive game itself. Even though the developers were criticized for some exploration aspects of the game, to put it plainly, lack of things to do on some planets and lack of diversity on the planets in general, the launch did manage to surpass another legendary game from Bethesda’s repertoire, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Skyrim turns 12 years old in just a few short months, and around 12 years ago, it registered the peak concurrent players count of 287,411, according to SteamDB. Starfield managed to surpass that number a few times now, as 13 hours ago, the game registered a peak concurrent player count of 330,723 players in the game.

Although the peak seems humble when compared to some other games, it’s important to note that Steam is not the only platform on which the game was released on. Due to lucrative deals, many players instead opted out to try out the game on Microsoft’s Game Pass, so what we’re seeing on Steam is a far cry from the real number of players.

Starfield also hadn’t managed to dethrone Bethesda’s other giant, Fallout 4. At one point 8 years ago, the game registered an all-time peak of 472,962 concurrent players, as the interest in the game was enormous.

Starfield’s number look humble, at least on Steam, but it’s important to take into account that the franchise is also rather new, and players really don’t know what to expect considering an overwhelming amount of both positive reviews and criticism of some of the game aspect’s that were supposedly overhyped.

In any case, we don’t expect Starfield to fall off the radar anytime soon. The developers have announced the release of modding tools, scheduled to launch sometime in 2024. Even in the absence of official modding tools, its modding community is thriving, with thousands of mods already uploaded and ready to improve the game in several aspects that the players found lacking.

One thing that ensures the longevity of most Bethesda games is its modding fanbase, and we have no doubt that Starfield will see some drastic unofficial upgrades in the next several months and, due to them, perhaps even dethrone Fallout 4.

Valentina Kraljik

The Elder Scrolls VI Is Still 5+ Years Away & Might Not Be Available on PlayStation, Says Microsoft’s Mike Spencer

ByValentina Kraljik Published onJune 26, 2023June 26, 2023

The Elder Scrolls VI Is Still 5 Years Away Might Not Be Available on PlayStation Says Microsofots Mike Spencer

It’s been 11 and a half years since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released, and despite the game being re-released numerous times and content being added both officially and through the modding community, fans are eagerly awaiting tidbits of news regarding the so-far unnamed sixth installment in the franchise.

Bad news came last week when during the Activision Blizzard FTC Trial, Microsoft’s Mike Spencer announced that the game might still be 5+ years away.

In December of last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its intention to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a deal worth $68.7 billion. Recently, a federal court in California issued a temporary restraining order, as requested by the FTC, which effectively halts the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal for the time being.

Last week, the FTC was seeking a preliminary injunction against Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. If successful, it would prevent the completion of the acquisition while the FTC conducts its review of the transaction’s compliance with U.S. antitrust laws.

The granting of a preliminary injunction would have a significant impact on Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s plans, potentially even jeopardizing the deal. The acquisition was initially expected to close by July 18, 2023. If the injunction is imposed, the parties would either have to renegotiate or face the possibility of the deal falling through.

An evidentiary hearing between Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and the FTC is scheduled for August 2, which is after the upcoming deadline in July.

During the hearing, Mike Spencer mentioned the probable Elder Scrolls VI release window

“It’s many years away, but it’s a game we have announced we would begin working on. “I think we’ve been a little unclear on what platforms it will launch on, given how far out the game is. It’s difficult for us right now to nail down exactly what platforms that game will launch on.”
IGN

“As I said with Elder Scrolls 6, it’s so far out it’s hard to understand what the platforms will even be at this point. It’s the same team that’s finishing Starfield, which comes out this September. So we’re talking about it being likely five-plus years away.”

Spencer’s words did little to quell the worry that Bethesda’s most famous franchise won’t be available on Play Station, and the fans that once welcomed healthy competition in the form of PS exclusives are now calling for fairer release practices.

In any case, considering everything we’ve heard, there’s going to be quite some time before we hear & see anything solid related to Elder Scrolls VI.

Bethesda is usually delaying its flagship IP as long as possible to ensure the best experience possible for fans, and considering the probable scope of the game and technologies involved in making it; it’s not surprising that the game is taking so long.

Valentina Kraljik

How Do You Use the Investor Perk in Skyrim?

ByValentina Kraljik Published onMay 30, 2023May 30, 2023

A significant part of Skyrim’s gameplay revolves around its economy, and economy, in turn, is mostly influenced by your speech skill that can, when raised enough, help you accumulate quite the wealth. One of the most important speechcraft perks you can acquire is the so-called “Investor” perk, but some players have trouble utilizing this perk to the fullest due to the various bugs. So, we created this guide to explain how to use the “Investor” perk effectively in Skyrim.

Investor perk will allow you to invest 500 gold in merchants to raise their overall gold available for bartering by 500 gold. All you need to do is navigate to the “I want to invest in your business” option while you are navigating through the dialogue options. However, You should consider that some merchants are affected by a bug that allows you to invest in their store for an infinite amount of times without ever remembering that you already invested in them. Their overall gold, however, will never increase.

Now that we’ve covered how to use the investor perks, it’s time to analyze it in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in how to unlock the perk and how to utilize it the best, stay with us and keep reading!

What speech level do you need to be to unlock Investor perk?

Generally, you will level speech every time you trade with the merchants or interact with other NPCs via special dialogue options such as bribe, threaten, etc., and it shouldn’t be too hard to max out speech in the mid-game, as there are various effective guides on how to do it. But luckily for you, you don’t have to be a master level in speech to unlock the Investor Perk. You just need to spend a lot of points in the skill tree and be fairly proficient at it.

You can unlock the Investor perk as soon as you hit level 70 in speech, and if you’ve previously unlocked the “Merchant” perk, that allows you to sell any type of item to any kind of merchant. This is among the most useful perks in the tree, so generally, everybody who decides to orient their character to, well, the speech will strive to get this perk as soon as possible. It makes flipping goods faster than usual, but it also causes your “go-to” merchants to be drained of funds relatively quickly, and this is where the Investor perk comes on.

What does Investor perk do & how to use it?

Investor perk allows you to invest 500 gold in merchants that can be found all over Skyrim. The perk is not limited to a type of merchant since you can invest in alchemists, smiths, or general merchants. It really doesn’t matter as long as the merchant in question is not affected by a bug. You can find a list of all investable merchants here, but keep in mind that the bugs that affect various merchants can be fixed with the Unofficial Skyrim Patch at any given time.

As soon as you activate the perk, the first time you wander into a shop and activate the dialogue with the merchant, you will get the following choice “I would like to invest in your business.” As soon as you click on that line, the money will be subtracted from your inventory immediately, and the merchant’s gold will be raised by that amount (500 gold).

It’s a pretty useful perk to have, but most people are just not willing to invest in it early on in the game. Luckily the legendary skills allow you to acquire all perks eventually if you’re persistent enough and willing to grind.

You can invest only once in any given merchant.

Bugs that affect the Investor perk

Most of the players get confused by the perk since the option to invest is not present for at least 1/3 of the game’s merchants, and it’s mostly due to random bugs affecting them. So if the option to invest is missing, there is a really large chance that the merchant in question is simply “un-investable” due to a bug and not by design. You can resolve most of those issues by using various unofficial patches.

Some bugs are more bizarre in nature, like the one affecting Angeline Morrard in Angeline’s Aromatics. This apothecary will allow you to invest in its store endlessly; as long as you have the funds, the merchant seemingly forgets about it, but, there’s a catch, her base gold will never rise. It will always stay at the pre-investment levels, which results in all your investments being lost forever.

It’s probably best to avoid investing in Angeline if you don’t plan on installing the Unofficial Patch.

Ghorza gra-Bagol, an orc smith that can be found near Understone Keep, has the option to invest in her, but the only dialogue option is to refuse the investment making it impossible to raise her standard gold by 500.

You can install Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch to fix this bug, or you can simply “dispose” of Ghorza and wait for her apprentice, Tacitus Sallustius, to take over the store. In this case, you should be able to invest in the store without any issues.

What is the difference between the Investor perk and Master Trader perk?

Both the Investor perk and Master Trader perk allow you to raise the standard gold of merchants in Skyrim by 500 and 1000 gold, respectively, but there are some differences between the two perks. Namely, the Master Trader perk is significantly harder to acquire because it requires you to be level 100 in speech and it requires you to have almost all other prior perks activated.

Master Trader perk will also add 1000 gold to all merchants, but it doesn’t require you to invest your own gold in traders. The game does it automatically, meaning it doesn’t cost you anything. It’s a useful perk to have, and it will allow you to accumulate wealth rapidly, but it might take some time for you to get there, and most players don’t want to prioritize speech in early or mid-game.

And by the time you are ready to invest all those points in speech, you might already be rich beyond your wildest dreams, so the perk might appear to be useless.

Valentina Kraljik

Most Valuable Enchantments in Skyrim (Ranked)