How to use Soul Trap in Oblivion Remastered
Where to find the Soul Trap spell and fill Soul Gems in Oblivion
Need to learn Soul Trap in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? Wielding weapons with enchantments is very important in Oblivion, as this grants extra damage and places handy debuffs on your enemies. The only caveat is the need to recharge enchanted weapons, as they come with a limited number of uses before they run out of power.
As explained in our guide on how to recharge weapons in Oblivion, there are several ways to replenish them, including paying a recharger (vendor) and using Varla Stones. Considering the cost, effort, and item rarity, however, the best way to recharge weapons is with Soul Gems, a.k.a. shiny rocks holding a defeated enemy's soul. Soul Gems can also be used to enchant weapons.
As only 'filled' Soul Gems can replenish enchantments, it's important to know how to place souls inside the Soul Gem. This guide will explain exactly how to trap souls in Oblivion Remastered, from obtaining empty Soul Gems to mastering the Soul Trap spell.
How to get Soul Gems and the Soul Trap spell in Oblivion
To trap an enemy's soul, you need two things: empty Soul Gems and a Soul Trap spell. The first is basically a box to hold the creature's soul, and the second is needed to transfer the soul into the Soul Gem.
Soul Gems are easy to come by as you can buy them from almost any magic and alchemy vendor. Be sure to buy empty Soul Gems instead of filled Soul Gems - the latter already have a soul inside, which means you don't need to trap the soul yourself, but they're very expensive. It's a good idea to get Azura's Star as soon as possible - this Daedric Artifact is a reusable Soul Gem, which means it won't break after use like a regular Soul Gem.
You can buy the Oblivion Soul Trap spell from almost any Mages Guild magic vendor. Just find one in the nearest city (no need to join the Mages Guild) and scroll through their inventory to see if they have something called 'Soul Trap'. Don't forget to improve the vendor's disposition and haggle for a discount!
If you see a warning that your 'skill level is too low' upon purchasing Soul Trap, it means you don’t have a Mysticism skill level of 25 (apprentice) yet. The best solution is to boost your Mysticism; purchasing a cheap Mysticism spell like Minor Life Detection and using it repeatedly is a good way to quickly increase it. You can also pay a Mysticism Trainer like Druja, the Argonian magic vendor at Skingrad's Mages Guild - she can probably sell you the Soul Trap spell too.
If, however, you want to trap souls without leveling Mysticism, there are two alternatives:
- Use Soul Trap scrolls. You can purchase single-use scrolls and use them on your enemies instead of casting the Soul Trap spell with magicka. Anyone can use a scroll, regardless of skill level, but since it's difficult to find Soul Trap scrolls (and expensive, too), relying on scrolls isn't ideal.
- Wield a weapon enchanted with Soul Trap. You can enchant a weapon yourself or try to find one with a default 'Soul Trap' effect. One such weapon is Umbra, one of the best weapons in Oblivion, which is found in the Vindasel dungeon southwest of the Imperial City. You simply need to hit an enemy to cast Soul Trap on them, no Mysticism required, but beware that such weapons come with a limited number of uses. Ironically, you'll need Soul Gems to recharge them.
How to use Soul Trap
No matter how you initiate Soul Trap, whether by spell, scroll, or weapon, the process is the same: you cast it on an enemy, then kill that enemy to automatically transfer its soul into a Soul Gem in your inventory. Beware that Soul Trap spells come with different durations; you must kill the enemy before it wears off. This also means you can lower the enemy's HP before casting Soul Trap. For example, if you have a Soul Trap weapon and you'd like to save its charges, you can use another weapon to deplete your opponent's HP, then just before they die, switch to the Soul Trap weapon to deliver the finishing blow.
One more thing to keep in mind is the size of the enemy's soul and the type of Soul Gem you're using. A smaller soul can fit into a larger Soul Gem, but not the other way around. So, if you just killed a 'petty soul' mudcrab but hold only Lesser Soul Gems, the mudcrab's soul will take one of those. If you just killed a 'lesser soul' Scamp but hold only Petty Soul Gems, the soul will be lost. There's no such thing as partially filling up Soul Gems or using several Souls for one Gem; it's one soul per Soul Gem, always.
Luckily, a soul will automatically use the smallest empty Soul Gem available in your inventory, so as long as you have both a Petty Soul Gem and a Grand Soul Gem in your inventory, the mudcrab's soul will use the former. It's highly recommended to always carry a stack of small Soul Gems with you, so you never accidentally put a petty soul into your most valuable Soul Gems.
Here's a list of Soul Gem types and the type of enemy they're used for:
- Petty Soul Gem: Only for the tiniest souls, such as mudcrabs and early game goblins.
- Lesser Soul Gem: Suitable for small souls, such as timber wolves, scamps, and horses.
- Common Soul Gem: Holds medium souls, like Spriggans, Flame Atronachs, and Black Bears.
- Greater Soul Gem: Holds large souls, such as normal Wraiths, Frost Atronachs, and Storm Atronachs.
- Grand Soul Gem: Captures the greatest souls, including Minotaur Lords and Gloom Wraiths.
- Black Soul Gem: Only type of Soul Gem that can hold NPC souls, such as vampires and Dremora.
And that's how Soul Trap works in Oblivion Remastered. If you'd like to experiment with the Soul Trap spell, be sure to unlock spellcrafting too, and complete a bunch of Daedric Quests to obtain more enchanted weapons. It might be useful to learn how to close Oblivion Gates as well!