Skyrim: How to Fill Soul Gems (Complete Gameplay Guide)

Soul gems in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are basically magical batteriesexcept the batteries only charge if you politely (or not-so-politely) yoink a soul at the exact moment something stops being alive. If you’ve ever stared at an empty soul gem like it personally betrayed you, this guide is for you.

Below is a complete, practical, and slightly mischievous walkthrough for filling soul gems efficiently: how Soul Trap works, which gems take which souls, how to avoid wasting Grand gems on skeevers (a tragedy), how Black Soul Gems differ, and how to keep your enchanted weapons topped off without going broke.

Soul Gems 101: What They Are and Why You Should Care

Soul gems power two big parts of the game:

• Enchanting new gear at an Arcane Enchanter.
• Recharging enchanted weapons (because “out of charges” is Skyrim’s way of saying “enjoy your fancy stick”).

Standard soul gem sizes go from Petty up to Grand, and there are also Black Soul Gems for humanoid souls. There are unique reusable options like Azura’s Star (white souls) and The Black Star (the “I don’t want to micromanage this anymore” option).

Golden Rule: The Soul Must Fit the Gem

A soul gem can only hold a soul of its size or smaller. If you trap a soul and don’t have a correctly sized empty gem, the game will try a larger one. If nothing can hold it, the soul is lost. If only bigger gems are available, you can end up “wasting” a large gem on a small soul.

How Soul Trapping Works (The Actual Mechanics)

Filling soul gems requires putting a Soul Trap effect on a target, then killing the target before the effect expires. When done correctly, you’ll see the familiar “Soul Captured!” message and one of your empty gems will fill.

You can apply Soul Trap in three main ways:

1. Cast the Soul Trap spell (Conjuration).
2. Hit with a weapon enchanted with Soul Trap (or Fiery Soul Trap).
3. Use Bound Weapons with the Soul Stealer perk (automatic Soul Trap on hit).

One More Rule: Not Everything Has a “Trappable” Soul

Some things don’t cooperate. Most famously, dragons resist Soul Traptheir souls go to you as Dragonborn business, not into gems. Also, “weird” cases exist with certain enemies and systems (more on troubleshooting later).

Step-by-Step: Fill Soul Gems with the Soul Trap Spell

This is the clean, classic methodand it’s great early game when you don’t have the right enchanted weapon yet.

1) Get the Soul Trap Spell Tome

You can buy it from court wizards and other mages (Whiterun is a common early option), or find it as loot. If you’re low level and low budget, check general mages and court wizards first.

2) Carry Empty Soul Gems (A Mix Is Best)

Bring a spread: petty/lesser/common/greater/grand. This reduces the chance of capturing a tiny soul in a big, expensive gem. If your inventory is already crying, stash filled gems at home and keep empties on you.

3) Cast Soul Trap, Then Secure the Kill

Cast Soul Trap on your target, then finish them before the timer ends. The default duration is generous for the spell, so it’s easier than many short-duration weapon enchants.

Example: You’re hunting a wolf (small soul). Cast Soul Trap, defeat it, and your petty gem fillsassuming you have one empty. If you only brought Grand gems… congratulations, you just put a wolf soul in a luxury penthouse.

Step-by-Step: Fill Soul Gems with a Soul Trap Enchanted Weapon

This is the “set it and forget it” method. Instead of casting a spell every fight, you swing/shoot as usual and trap souls automaticallyas long as the weapon has charge.

1) Learn the Soul Trap Enchantment

To apply Soul Trap to your own weapon, you need to disenchant an item with Soul Trap at an Arcane Enchanter. Many vendors sell basic enchanted weapons, and you’ll find them in loot sooner or later.

2) Enchant a “Tagging” Weapon (The 1-Second Trick)

Here’s the practical min-max tip that feels like cheating but isn’t: when enchanting a weapon with Soul Trap, you can set the duration very low (even around 1 second) to get more charges. If your weapon delivers the killing blowor you finish the target immediately1 second is plenty. Longer duration usually means fewer uses before recharge.

Pro move: Put Soul Trap on a fast, low-cost weapon (dagger) or a bow, tag the target once, then swap to your real damage weapon to finish. It’s like signing your name on the soul before handing it to fate.

3) Keep the Weapon Charged

No charge = no Soul Trap effect = no filled gems. If your Soul Trap weapon stops working, it might simply be out of juice.

Fiery Soul Trap: Two Jobs, One Swing

Fiery Soul Trap combines Soul Trap with a fixed fire damage effect. It’s popular because it adds damage while still trapping souls, and it can be learned by disenchanting a specific unique-enchanted weapon found in the world.

If you like efficiency, Fiery Soul Trap is the “I brought snacks and a flamethrower” of soul capturing.

Bound Weapons + Soul Stealer: The Mage Who Hates Inventory Management

If you use Bound Sword/Bow/etc., the Soul Stealer perk can apply Soul Trap automatically when you hit enemies. It’s handy because you don’t need to enchant a physical weapon.

Two Things to Know

• You still need empty soul gems. Magic doesn’t conjure containers out of vibes.
• Visual effects may be subtle. Some implementations don’t show the loud Soul Trap visuals every time, even when it works.

Black Soul Gems: How They Work (And Why People Get Nervous)

Black Soul Gems hold humanoid souls (NPCs like bandits, mages, and unfortunate citizens who chose violence). In Skyrim’s mechanics, these are extremely valuable because humanoid souls are powerful and useful for high-end enchanting and recharging.

How to Fill a Black Soul Gem

1. Get an empty Black Soul Gem (or The Black Star).
2. Apply Soul Trap (spell, enchanted weapon, or Soul Stealer).
3. Kill the humanoid within the Soul Trap window.
4. Watch your gem fill (and your moral compass spin like a weather vane in a blizzard).

Where to Get Black Soul Gems

Black Soul Gems are less common than regular gems and aren’t typically sold by “normal” merchants. You’ll often find them in necromancer-themed locations, certain dungeons, or from specialized sellers.

Azura’s Star vs. The Black Star: Which Reusable Soul Gem Is Better?

Both are rewards from the same Daedric quest line and function like reusable soul containers. The practical difference:

• Azura’s Star is generally used for white souls (creatures).
• The Black Star is associated with black souls (humanoids) and, depending on version/behavior, can be wildly convenient.

If your goal is fast recharging and high-value enchanting, reusable options are a huge quality-of-life upgrade. Even one reusable soul container can save you a mountain of gold over a full playthrough.

How to Recharge Enchanted Weapons (Without Guessing Buttons Forever)

Recharging is straightforward:

1. Open your inventory and select the enchanted weapon.
2. Choose the Recharge option.
3. Select a filled soul gem to consume (or use a reusable option when applicable).

Bigger souls generally restore more charge. If you’re constantly running dry mid-dungeon, you’re either understocked on filled gems or your enchantments are too charge-hungry for your current supply.

Best Practices: Fill Soul Gems Faster and Smarter

Carry “Right-Sized” Empties to Prevent Waste

This is the difference between “efficient enchanter” and “person who accidentally stored a skeever in a Grand gem.” Keep a stack of petty/lesser/common for everyday wildlife and dungeon critters, and reserve greater/grand for the big stuff.

Use a Soul Trap “Tag” Weapon

A low-damage dagger or bow with Soul Trap is perfect. Tag once, swap to your best weapon/spell, finish the fight, collect soul, repeat. You’ll trap more souls with fewer recharges and less fuss.

Let a Follower Help (Yes, Really)

If your companion uses a Soul Trap enchanted weapon, they can contribute to trappingas long as gems are available. This can turn normal dungeon crawling into passive soul farming while you focus on not being set on fire.

Farm the Right Targets for the Right Gems

Want Grand souls without turning Skyrim into a courtroom drama? Hunt large, high-tier creatures that yield strong souls. Want fast petty/lesser souls? Wildlife and low-level dungeon enemies are basically soul snack packs.

Troubleshooting: Why Isn’t My Soul Gem Filling?

Check This List Before You Blame the Nine

• No empty gem of the right size (or any size) in your inventory.
• The target died after Soul Trap expired (common with short enchant durations).
• Your Soul Trap weapon has no charge.
• You trapped something that doesn’t behave like a normal soul target (dragons are the big example).
• You’re trying to trap a humanoid soul without a Black Soul Gem (regular gems won’t take it).

If the spell seems to “work” but nothing fills, test on a simple creature with a clear soul size (like a wolf) while carrying only a few empty petty gems. Controlled experiments: not just for College of Winterhold nerds.

FAQ: Quick Answers for Common Soul Gem Questions

Do I need to land the killing blow?

Not always. The target simply has to die while affected by Soul Trap and while you have an appropriate empty gem available. That said, landing the killing blow is the easiest way to guarantee timingespecially with very short durations.

Can I trap two souls from one kill?

No. One target = one soul. Dual-enchanting doesn’t magically produce extra souls; it just stacks effects (and drains charge accordingly).

Can I soul trap dragons?

Nodragons resist soul trapping. Their souls are absorbed by you as part of the main Dragonborn mechanic.

Is it “bad” to use Black Soul Gems?

Morally? Depends on your roleplay. Mechanically? It’s extremely effective. Skyrim lets you be a hero, a villain, or a morally complicated craftsman who just really loves recharge efficiency.

Conclusion: The Fastest Way to Fill Soul Gems in Skyrim

If you want the simplest setup: carry a variety of empty gems, keep a Soul Trap tagging weapon (or the spell) ready, and consider a reusable soul container once you can get one. You’ll spend less gold, recharge more often, and enchant like a professional.

And remember: if a Grand gem gets filled with a mudcrab soul, it’s not a “mistake.” It’s a “learning experience.” Skyrim is built on those.

Extra: 500+ Words of Real-Gameplay Soul Gem Experiences (The Stuff Guides Don’t Warn You About)

Every Skyrim player eventually develops a relationship with soul gems that can best be described as “complicated.” At first, it’s innocent: you find an enchanted sword, you swing it, and it does something cool. Then the charges run out mid-fight, and suddenly you’re holding a pricey butter knife while a frost troll auditions for a one-troll Broadway show called “You Look Delicious.”

That’s usually the moment people decide to learn soul trapping “properly”and immediately discover the first great truth: soul gems are never empty when you want them to be, and always empty when you swear you just bought ten. The second truth is worse: the game is very willing to put a tiny soul into a big gem if that’s all you brought, and it will do it with the casual confidence of someone tossing a single grape into a full-sized moving box.

This is why seasoned players end up carrying “snack gems” and “meal gems.” Petty and lesser gems are snack gems: perfect for wolves, skeevers, and other wildlife that exist primarily to remind you that the wilderness hates you. Common and greater gems are your meal gems for sturdier enemies, and grand gems are the fancy dinner reservations you save for the big targets. If you don’t plan it this way, you’ll eventually open your inventory and see a Grand Soul Gem filled with something humiliatinglike the soul of a mudcrab that died bravely after pinching your boot for 0.2 seconds.

Then comes the “Soul Trap timing” phase, where players realize the spell is forgiving but weapon enchants can be hilariously strict. A short-duration Soul Trap enchant can feel like trying to stamp a parking ticket onto an enemy’s soul while they sprint away. The practical workaround is the famous “tag and swap” routine: tap the enemy with a Soul Trap dagger or bow, then finish them with your real damage. It feels a little like bureaucracysign here, initial here, now you may perish.

Another classic experience is the “Why won’t this gem fill?” panic spiral. People blame bugs, curses, or the Daedric Princes, when the culprit is often simple: no empty gem of the right size, the enchantment ran out, or the Soul Trap weapon ran out of charge. (Which is the most Skyrim sentence possible: “My soul stealing stopped because my soul stealing device needs souls.”)

Black Soul Gems add a whole new layer of chaos because the targets are humanoidsmeaning your “soul harvesting route” starts to look suspiciously like “a list of bandit camps.” The gameplay efficiency is undeniable, though. Once players get a reusable option or a steady supply, recharging enchanted weapons becomes less of a gold sink and more of a habitlike carrying lockpicks, except the lockpicks are souls and the locks are your weapons.

Finally, there’s the endgame feeling: when your enchanting is high, your weapon is absurd, and you’re recharging in the middle of a dungeon like it’s a coffee break. That’s when soul gems stop being a confusing system and start being what they always wanted to be: the reason your gear feels legendary instead of “legendary until Tuesday.”