Black Soul Gems vs. Grand Soul Gems

LlamaDesign · Post by **LlamaDesign** » Mon May 21, 2007 6:35 pm

Which is better for enchanting? I read in another thread where someone implied you get a higher/better charge with a Black Soul Gem. Does anyone know?

r · Post by r » Mon May 21, 2007 7:10 pm

I think they're the same, but black soul gems are easier to fill because you can just go and find a bandit or something.

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Mon May 21, 2007 11:30 pm

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Enchanting#Soul_Gems

Soul Gem Capacity
Petty 150
Lesser 300
Common 800
Greater 1200
Grand 1600
Black* 1600
Azura's Star** 1600
Soul Tomato*** 1600

* The only Soul Gem which can trap NPCs.
** Can be reused.
*** Added by The Shivering Isles Expansion Pack. Used in The Museum of Oddities.

Most Honored Listener · Mon May 21, 2007 11:31 pm

what about the item like short sword vs. long sword? does that really make any difference?

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Mon May 21, 2007 11:34 pm

Just as important as the type of Soul Gem, is the Size of the Soul in the Gem.

A Black Soul Gem can hold as much as a Grand Soul Gem (1600), but it is much easier to fill since any humanoid is 1600 units.

If you want more uses out of your enchantment, then reduce the amount of the Magnitude, ect. 1600 units gets you 85 charges for your enchantment. If you do not use all of the charges, then you will have more uses.

Belthazor · Post by **Belthazor** » Tue May 22, 2007 9:11 am

Most Honored Listener wrote:what about the item like short sword vs. long sword? does that really make any difference?

No. Only the size of the soul matters.

Most Honored Listener · Tue May 22, 2007 8:35 pm

and the soul gem capacity charge is dependent on level right?

Codex · Post by **Codex** » Tue May 22, 2007 9:07 pm

Nope. The chargepoints are static, no matter which level you are. Though I think the size of the ones you find depends on level.

Bear · Post by **Bear** » Tue May 22, 2007 9:24 pm

It's not the size of the soul that makes a good enchantment, it's how you use it!

Sorry, couldn't help it!

Most Honored Listener · Tue May 22, 2007 9:24 pm

this is from the useful enchantments page in the wiki

Custom Weapons

Rather than list endless different combinations of weapons here are a few guidelines to creating powerful magic weapons:

* Use a combination of effects rather than a single effect; for example it's cheaper (both money wise and charge wise) to use Fire Damage 10 points for 1 second, Frost Damage 10 points for 1 second, and Shock Damage 10 points for 1 second than Fire Damage 30 points for 1 second.
* Lower damage over time is cheaper than high damage for one second; so Fire Damage 5 points for 3 seconds is cheaper than Fire Damage 15 points for 1 second.

* Adding Soul trap for at least 1 second to any weapon will help you recharge the weapon itself, as long as you have a large enough soul gem. This works especially well with Azura's Star

myko-101 · Post by **myko-101** » Wed May 23, 2007 6:32 pm

Most Honored Listener wrote:what about the item like short sword vs. long sword? does that really make any difference?

long swords have a better reach

so you can hit enemies further away

its only a few inches, but still useful

especially if your enemy has a dagger and you have a longsword

i think shortswords are supposed to be slightly faster

Most Honored Listener · Wed May 23, 2007 9:36 pm

myko-101 wrote:
Most Honored Listener wrote:what about the item like short sword vs. long sword? does that really make any difference?
long swords have a better reach

so you can hit enemies further away

its only a few inches, but still useful

especially if your enemy has a dagger and you have a longsword

i think shortswords are supposed to be slightly faster

I know that the less weight the item has 1 the faster you can swing it and 2 the less fatigued you get from fighting

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Wed May 23, 2007 10:50 pm

Bear wrote:It's not the size of the soul that makes a good enchantment, it's how you use it!

Sorry, couldn't help it!