soul gems

[B_MAN]

i still dont get them
havent really bothered to figure it out til now
all i know is souls can recharge magical items but...

how do you capture a soul?
why are some gems too small to capture certain souls?
what else can they be used for?

any and all info would be much appreciated! thanks
:smoking:

 

[AiM]

You need the spell 'Soul Trap', I think it's sold at the Arcane University (hazy memory)?

Gems are limited in what monsters they can capture, you need better Soul Gems to capture the better monsters.

 

[B_MAN]

so rats fill like a lesser gem?
and umbra would fill a grand or something?

how do you use soul trap? after the enemy is slain?

 

[AiM]

Yeah, it'll default rats and other weak animals to the low-value gems first. I'd assume an Umbra would fill a grand, but I personally haven't had the chance to 'capture' one.

You use soultrap by casting it on an enemy then slaying it before the duration wears off. Works best by withering down a nice chunk of health first, cast the spell then finish it off.

 

[boglito]

so rats fill like a lesser gem?
and umbra would fill a grand or something?

how do you use soul trap? after the enemy is slain?

Short breakdown:

petty / rats and easy skeletons / 150 points
lesser / smaller denizens of oblivion possibly wolves etc / 300 points
common / black bears fireatronarchs ("firebabes of oblivion") / 800 points
greater / pretty hard creatures / 1200 points
grand / no idea / no idea

To trap a soul you must cast soul trap on your enemy before it dies, and the enchantment on your enemy must not end before it dies (some soultrap spells have short duration).
Only unthinking creatures can be soultrapped. Sentient beings of oblivion can not be soultrapped.
One gem can only hold one soul.
Soulgems disappear on use.
Larger gems can be filled with smaller souls, but smaller gems cannot be filled with larger souls.
Harvesting souls becomes pretty important in the middle/late parts of the game when you have access to a lot of magical weapons and staves that must be recharged after use.

Additional [SPOILERS] ahead:























Umbra is not a gem, but a kick-ass weapon (part of a daedric quest) with soultrap 120seconds on hit. Takes away the need for a spell.
There is a daedric quest that will award you an item that works like a soulgem with infinite uses. Takes away the need for other soulgems.
It is possible to find evil soulgems that can capture sentient souls. It's part of a daedric quest.
It is possible to get a soultrap enchantment from a sigil stone in oblivion. I think that is a random occurence.
.bog.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

soulgems can recharge weapons? I didnt know that.
I just capture souls, and use them to enchant my own items in the arcane university's enchanting center.

I use varla stones to recharge my magic items... no that's a lie, I sell em and just pay my mage guildies to recharge my items.

 

[VictimOfScience]

It is possible to find evil soulgems that can capture sentient souls. It's part of a daedric quest.

You will also get the chance to make your own black soul gems with which you can capture human souls. Pretty cool stuff in this game whether you're good or evil. :thumbs:

 

[Unfocused]

Once I had only lesser and common gems in my inventory, I tried to capture a zombie's soul and it said the soul is too big for the gems. :|

 

[Snappel328]

Ohh...Damn I got that Collossal Black Soul Gem on that one quest and I guess I was supposed to fill it with Mannimarco's soul?

 

[ricera10]

Ohh...Damn I got that Collossal Black Soul Gem on that one quest and I guess I was supposed to fill it with Mannimarco's soul?

I think you were supposed to give it back to Hannibal Traven...

 

[Snappel328]

*SPOILER*


























Heh. It's kind of hard to give it back to Traven after he kills himself

 

[Darkwolf]

SPOILER












If you actually listen to what he says, Traven captured himself within the gem to provide protection from Manimarcos 'charms'. He is dead, but made you Arch-Made.

 

[Snappel328]

oh ok, so I'm guessing the colossal black soul gem is useless now?

 

[Jintor]

Yep. And you can't even drop it! Luckily it doesn't weigh anything, being a quest item, but -_-.

 

[Darkwolf]

It's your lasting memory of Traven... I hate him anyway.

 

[Snappel328]

Heh yeah he kept calling the Guards on me just for going through his portals. You would think he'd lock those things if he didn't want people to go up there -_-