How to Enchant Weapons and Craft Spells in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

The original Oblivion released on PC and Xbox 360 back in 2006. It was supposed to release in late 2005 with the launch of the xbox 360, but the popular video-game was delayed till early 2006. I played the role-playing game back in 2007 on the xbox 360 and had an absolute blast. It was the game that got me into other Bethesda titles like Fallout 3 and that completely unknown game called Skyrim. Ever heard of Skyrim? Yeah, me neither.

It's been nearly two decades since the OG game released, now finally, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is finally here. Despite the game not being officially announced by Bethesda (it was heavily rumored), the game has already sold millions across multiple platforms like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and on popular digital storefronts like Steam. Oblivion Remastered is the same game, but the visuals are in the Unreal Engine. The game boasts a higher frame rate, dynamic lighting, higher resolution, improved character models, faster loading times, and more. Unfortunately, in its current state, the frame rate is unstable and inconsistent on PC and the console versions. It tends to drop down into the 30s or 40s - in rare instances even lower.

Oblivion Remaster includes the base game and all the additional content that was released on xbox 360 and PC. That includes "Knights of the Nine" expansion and the "Shivering Isles" expansion, along with several smaller DLC packs: "Horse Armor", "The Orrery", "The Wizard's Tower", "The Thieves Den", "Mehrunes' Razor", "The Vile Lair", and "Spell Tomes."

Enchanting Weapons & Armor and Creating Spells in Oblivion Remastered

The vanilla version of Skyrim did not feature any type of spellmaking. While it did have Enchanting, spellmaking was not a thing unless players utilized mods on PC. Mods were added to console versions, but were much more limited on the PS4 version of Skyrim. In Oblivion Remastered, creating your own spells and putting enchantments on your weapons and armor can be a lot of fun and pretty much necessary if you're looking to build a powerful sorcerer or battle mage to defeat enemies on higher difficulties in. The game also tends to become more difficult since enemies scale to your level. You'll encounter deadly Daedra in the Oblivion Gates at higher levels.

Where to Craft Spells and Enchantments in Oblivion Remastered?

The Frostcrag Spire provides you access to an Altar of Enchanting and Altar of Spellmaking. It is a monumental tower that's high in the mountains of Cyrodiil, specifically east of the town of Bruma. The massive, spiraling tower is hard to miss quite frankly. It can be seen from miles away unless it's foggy in the game. All you need to do is trek up the steep incline of the mountains east of Bruma or go across the bridge to gain entry.

You'll need to upgrade Frostcrag Spire with furnishing by visiting the Mystic Emporium inside the Market District of the Imperial City. Ensure that you purchase Magetallow Candles from the vendor lady at the Mystic Emporium, as you'll need those to utilize the Alter of Enchanting and Spellmaking.

The Mages Guild & Arcane University

Alternatively, joining the Mages Guild in Oblivion and receiving recommendations from all seven guild leaders will grant you access to the Arcane University in the Imperial City. Cities with recommendation quests: Anvil, Bravil, Bruma, Cheydinhal, Chorrol, Leyawiin, and Skingrad. Completing all seven recommendations is necessary to access the Arcane University and advance to the Apprentice rank.

Originally, Frostcrag Spire was not an option unless you bought the Wizard's Tower DLC in the OG Oblivion. Fortunately, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered includes both expansions and all the extra player homes.

Enchanting weapons allows you to create deadly weapons that have the potential to deal significantly more damage to your enemies. Go to an Altar of Enchanting at the Frostcrag Spire or the Chironasium that's a building at the Arcane University.

What You'll Need

• A weapon or armor piece to enchant
• A Soul Gem (not an empty one)
• Spell effect

To learn more effects, you'll need to purchase spells from different Mage Guilds in Cyrodiil. Speak to some of the guild members. Some of them will sell spells to you, but only during certain times of the day. I don't think there's an option to buy from them during the night.

Important Note: You must have the required skill level to use the desired enchantment. For example, your Illusion Magic or Destruction Magic may need to be an Apprentice or Journeyman. Novice level mages have less access to enchantments and spell effects.

You'll want to use Grand Soul Gems because your enchantments will be stronger. They can be bought from the Mages Guilds and from various vendors like the Mystic Emporium in the Imperial City. A few locations where they can be found in the wild - Crayfish Cave, Nornal, and the basement of the witch's hut in Drakelowe.

Powerful elemental effects can be applied to your weapons like fire, frost, and lightning. Some effects can damage the enemy health or drain their fatigue or magika. Use whatever you think works best for your character build and class.

But remember that some enemies in Oblivion, Flame Atronachs for instance, are completely immune, and Storm Atronachs are neutral to fire damage. Additionally, Dunmer and Bretons have a 50% resistance to fire. I'd suggest utilizing a few different elemental enchantments, so you're prepared for any situation.

How to Fill Soul Gems?

To fill soul gems in Oblivion, you need to use the Soul Trap spell to trap a soul before the creature dies. You'll need an empty soul gem in your inventory that matches the size of the soul you're trying to capture. Once the creature dies, the soul will be trapped in the gem

The size of the Soul Gem determines the type of soul it can hold. Minotaur Lords, Goblin Lords, Liches, Gloom Wraiths, and Xivilai are some examples of creatures that have Grand Souls.

Note: The candle symbol indicates how many times an enchantment can be used before it must be recharged. For example, an Ebony Dagger that's imbued with a frost enchantment will eventually run out of power and need to be recharged with a Soul Gem. Making enchantments requires gold.

Go up to an Altar of Spellmaking to initiate the process of creating a custom spell. Go to the Frostcrag Spire or Arcane University in the Imperial City

While some spells can be bought (or obtained in quest rewards) from the Mages Guild and various vendors in Cyrodiil. The most powerful spells can be crafted at an Altar of Spellmaking. Just like enchantments, you'll need to have the specific spell and the the required skill to cast it. Lastly, you'll need enough magicka to cast the given spell.

Custom spells can have multiple variables that affect their strength and intensity:

• Range
• Magnitude
• Area
• Duration

Increasing all these variables will increase the gold it takes to make the spell as well as the amount of magicka it takes to cast it. Magnitude is arguably the most important one if you're going for pure damage with Destruction Spells.

A custom spell can be set to Self, Target, and Touch. The Target ones allow you to shoot enemies from a distance. The Touch ones require close proximity. Self is mainly used for enhancing your own attributes or skills etc.

One of my Custom Spells had the elements of fire, frost, and fire. Since it was a Touch spell, it cost less Magicka. I would also cast a Fortify Magicka spell on myself that allowed me to cast spells more frequently.

Spellmaking can be pretty fun in Oblivion Remastered, but be warned, spells cannot be deleted from your inventory. Unless Bethesda makes an update or patch, it's best to save your game before creating one

Bretons are often considered one of the best races to be a Battlemage or Spellsword because they have a 50% resistance to magic and inherently have 50+ magicka to draw on to cast more powerful spells.

I barely dabbled with magic usage in the original game, but I've been using it a lot more in Oblivion Remastered. Even though I have an affinity for one-handed weapons like short swords and maces, using magic can be pretty fun!