Although Skyrim is a game filled to the brim with amazing loot that can be found in every corner of the game world, some of which is unique enchanted armor, it is still important for the player to invest skill points in the enchantment skill tree.
With this skill leveled up sufficiently, the player has the opportunity to choose any enchantment of their choice and can apply it to any equipment of their choice. If you want to have the best and most overpowered build that is physically possible in this game, then leveling up the enchantment skill is a must.
With just over 30 unique enchantments available in the game, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing the ones you want, as everyone plays the game according to their own specifications and characters. The enchantments that best fit a stealth archer would not be the best fit for a warhammer wielding warrior.
And so, here is a list of all the most powerful and useful enchantments that you can get in the whole game for any kind of build..
20. Fortify Alchemy
Image
Alchemy as a skill in Skyrim is widely considered to be useless and is looked over by newcomers. Though it is true that alchemy is a very situational discipline and one that is only really useful for builds centered around it, the ability to make new potions can be pretty useful.
Again, if you don’t have a build centered around alchemy, it is probably best for you to gloss over this enchantment as there are much better options out there that are way more useful overall. Still, if you want to have the ability to make potions, this enchantment is a good idea to have.
Can be used on: Head, Hands, Rings, Amulets
19. Resist Disease
Image
Diseases in Skyrim are a comparatively minor part of the game. They don’t majorly affect the way you play the gamebut they can still inconvenience your playthrough if they aren’t taken care of in time. They can include many symptoms, such as diminishing your healing, no regeneration of your magic, lowering of your stamina etc.
What this enchantment does is that it largely or completely gets rid of these status effects and lets your adventures in Skyrim be way more smooth and trouble free. Since these diseases are mostly just an annoyance that will have you running to find a cure all potion, this enchantment just eliminates that inconvenience.
Can be used on: Torso, Shields, Rings, Amulets
18. Fortify Carry Weight
Image
Here is another enchantment that is fairly situational, but one that removes many inconveniences from the player's journey. One of the things that each adventurer needs to be mindful of is their carry weight. Sure, if players level up their stamina, their carry weight is also subsequently increased.
However, these skill points can be used for so many other, more useful skills so, spending them all on just stamina may not be the best option. Since many useful and powerful items in the game are fairly heavy and many things can stack up a load in your inventory, this is a good enchantment to use to lower the inconvenience.
Can be used on: Hands, Feet, Rings, Amulets
17. Resist Poison
Image
When it comes to overall utility, resist poison essentially works the same way as the aforementioned resist disease, but is ultimately the better option as more enemies in the game can deal out poison damage way more than enemies with diseases, as well as poison being way more common in the overall game.
Seeing as how spiders are the most common enemies in caves and dungeons along with Draugr, having some form of poison resistance would really come in handy when facing them. Though there is some equipment that is very good against poison, such as the Ancient Shrouded Armor that gives 100% resistance to poison, the enchantment can still be a solid pick.
Can be used on: Torso, Shields, Rings, Amulets
16. Fortify Health
Image
Now I know how this may seem, anything that improves the health in this game is going to be really good right? Well, yes, but what this enchantment does is that it merely increases the overall health of your character.
While this is undoubtedly a good thing, there are other enchantments that are far better in terms of what they can do for your health and just using potions and food in the middle of fights to regenerate your health that will overall have a better result for your fights. Still though, a really good option for tanky characters.
Can be used on: Torso, Shields, Rings, Amulets
15. Fortify Lockpicking
Image
I’ll be the first to admit that initially, I didn’t use this enchantment. The reason? Well, I never even upgraded the lockpicking perk because I just loved the challenge of picking locks all on my own, even if it was picking an expert or master level lock with my novice lockpicking ability.
What this enchantment does is that it just makes locksmithing easier in general and keeps you from losing many lockpicks and is good because it can be useful regardless of the build you have. However, it can even be counterintuitive as well as the lockpicking skill naturally increases throughout your journey because of all the chests you have to pick, as well as the fact that you can obtain the skeleton key later on, which is literally an unbreakable lockpick.
Can be used on: Head, Hands, Rings, Amulets
14. Fortify Sneak
Image
Fortify sneak is an enchantment that, as its name quite strongly suggests, fortifies your sneaking ability. It just makes the Dragonborn harder to detect while sneaking as it takes enemies a longer time to detect you, just as it would be with a higher sneak skill.
Though, obviously, this enchantment works best with builds that are focused on stealth and often avoiding fights. However, there are often situations within the game where even strength or mage builds can’t reliably go into guns blazing, so this enchantment can even help out other kinds of builds.
Can be used on: Hands, Feet, Rings, Amulets
13. Muffle
Image
Muffle is an enchantment that works in tandem with the previous enchantment fortify sneak, but it is even more niche than that. Though it is even more build-specific, it can still be used on builds other than stealth, though it really wouldn’t make sense to have it with any other playstyle.
The reason that this is placed ahead of fortify sneak is because of the fact that it has an ability to completely silence the players footsteps, which makes stealth characters insanely overpowered and almost impossible to detect. This would have been higher if it wasn’t so niche.
Can be used on: Feet
12. Resist Fire/Shock/Frost
Image
The 3 elements of Skyrim are part of the destruction magic school and are found in about every part of the game. Judging by how common they actually are, one would think that any enchantment that offers any kind of resistance against them is great.
Well, it is great, but fails to rank higher. This enchantment is useful but there are potions and other buffs that are found or can be bought from anywhere thatdo essentially the same thing, so you can save up your soul gems for better enchantments. Still though, having any sort of damage resistance is never a bad idea so these enchantments are always useful.
Can be used on: Head, Torso, Hands, Feet, Shields, Rings, Amulets
11. Fortify One-Handed
Image
Skyrim is a game with rudimentary combat mechanics, where many people choose to go for one-handed, quick fighting builds. For builds like that, this enchantment really works well, as well as doing wonders for hybrid builds that use both melee and range (can be magic or archery).
This is a really great enchantment that can help you out if you have such a build, though it is pretty niche and wouldn’t work if you are going for a two-handed strength build, which many players do.
Can be used on: Hands, Feet, Rings, Amulets
10. Fortify Two-Handed
Image
Now this may seem a little counterintuitive, but there is a reason why the two-handed enchantment edges out over the one-handed one. The reason for it is the fact that many people, especially those playing Skyrim for the first time, will more often go for a strength, melee, two-handed build.
That is because it’s very straightforward, especially compared to archery or sorcerer builds. The build sacrifices speed for way more power and this enchantment can be put on gear to even further strengthen the damage done by two-handed builds.
Can be used on: Hands, Feet, Rings, Amulets
9. Fortify Archery
Image
This is quite similar to the previous 2 skills, but it is overall a better option because archery can be used on any build and is a great option for combat in the game. Whether it is a one-handed or a two-handed melee build, archery is often the go-to, ranged combat option.
The fortify archery enchantment works perfectly with a stealth build and all the perks that it brings. Besides, there is a reason why the stealth archer build is a favorite amongst veterans of the game. If you want to have any sort of archery for your build, this is the perfect choice.
Can be used on: Head, Hands, Rings, Amulets
8. Fortify Light Armor
Image
No matter what you do or the kind of build you have in this game, armor is obviously a required piece of equipment. Though it doesn’t offer the same amount of protection as heavy armor, light armor is a great option for stealthy and quick builds.
It’s perfect for archery playthroughsas well and it allows for way better sneaking and versatility. The fortify light armor enchantment only strengthens these qualities and makes light armor perfect for many builds.
Can be used on: Torso, Hands, Rings, Amulets
7. Fortify Smithing
Image
This is the enchantment that you will need to make better gear and the one you need to make money fast, as well as leveling up quickly. Since it will improve the overall smithing skill of the player, it will only improve your gear and your stats as well.
Despite leveling up, since you can make a ton of new and improved and better quality gear, you can sell it to NPC’s for higher as well, making it the best, non-mod way to get rich quickly!
Can be used on: Torso, Hands, Rings, Amulets
6. Fortify Magicka Regen
Image
If one is going to go for a mage or sorcerer build, their pool of magicka is to be of utmost importance to their entire build. They can always level it up to make the magicka pool as large as possible, but once it has been depleted, they will have to rely on tons of potions and materials to fill it back up.
This is where this enchantment comes in. While it doesn’t increase the overall size of the magicka pool, it makes the regeneration rate of the magicka way faster, which allows for players to get back into the fight much quicker and also to heal themselves with spells on the fly.
Can be used on: Head, Torso, Rings
5. Fortify Destruction
Image
This enchantment and the one before are equally as important for any mage build. If you are planning to have a playthrough of Skyrim as a magic wielder, in one way or the other, you will need to use destruction magic as it is really the only way to deal out damage to your enemies if you choose magic as your offense.
Regardless of whether you want to specialize in fire, frost, or lightning, the fortify destruction enchantment gives you the opportunity to further bolster the strength of your destruction magic as it increases your overall destruction skill and makes you even more powerful.
Can be used on: Head, Torso, Rings, Amulets
4. Fortify Heavy Armor
Image
As it is, heavy armor is already very powerful in the entire game. Though most enchantments in the game are situational and only really favor some kinds of builds, heavy armor is the perfect choice for pretty much anyone who is afraid of taking too much damage and is a way better damage sponge than light armor.
The fortify heavy armor enchantment simply increases the resistance your character has to all kinds of attacks as it increases the overall armor rating for what you’re wearing, and can increase it by 25 points if it is upgraded to its max level of 6. This is the perfect choice for a tankier, melee build.
Can be used on: Torso, Hands, Rings, Amulets
3. Resist Magic
Image
Many pieces of gear in Skyrim already come with some sort of resistance to magic, especially frost and fire magic. These kinds of pieces of equipment are generally really good and are better than normal pieces as they are offering some added protection against elemental damage.
However, sometimes it can be difficult to choose what kind of gear you should put on for which kind of resistance. This is where the resist magic enchantment comes in, as it allows for the player to have a set defense and resistance against all kinds of magic damage. Since magic is extremely common in the game amongst enemies, this enchantment is the perfect choice to counter that as it even protects against dragon breath attacks!
Can be used on: Shields, Rings, Amulets
2. Fortify Stamina Regen
Image
Are you the kind of person that runs away at the first sight of an enemy or one that picks up their weapon and starts hacking away at the foe before they even know what’s going on? Well, whichever category you fall under, you need stamina.
Just like fortifying magicka regen, this enchantment improves your overall stamina reserve by making the rate of stamina regeneration much quicker. This allows for you to regain a bunch of stamina in order to tether run away or to deal your enemies crushing blows by charging them. Just don’t overlook stamina folks!
Can be used on: Torso, Feet, Rings, Amulets
1. Fortify Healing Rate
Image
It really couldn’t have been anything else. No matter what you do, what your build is, how good at fighting you are, it all comes down to your health. No matter what happens, you are almost definitely bound to take damage in your fights around the country of Skyrim. In the middle of fights potions, spells and food can only really do so much.
This is an essential enchantment to use on any piece of armor as it increases the rate at which your health regenerates and is one that can make even the smallest of health pools last way longer. A definite must have for your journey around Skyrim.
Being naturally attuned to magic and bearing the strength of a thousand men, it's safe to say I'm used to adding a creative flair to my stories, always striving to tell engaging tales.
Gamer Since:
2005
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
Whatever I can get my hands on
Top 3 Favorite Games:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dark Souls 3
