Oblivion Remastered: How to recharge enchanted weapons?

Does Oblivion allow you to recharge an enchanted weapon after all its charges have been used? On this page of the guide, we have described this issue in great detail. You'll learn how to check the charge status of an enchanted piece of equipment, how to renew the charges and uses of enchanted weapons, and how to acquire Soul Gems and Varla Stones associated with this activity.

• How do I check the charge status of an enchanted weapon?
• How to renew uses?

How do I check the charge status of an enchanted weapon?

1. The enchanted weapons in Oblivion have a limited number of charges, and once they deplete, you can only deal standard damage with them. You can check the charge status of an enchanted weapon in your inventory. Find the weapon on the list, select the option to show details (press R3 on the controller) and go to the tab marked with a star icon (marked in the attached screenshot).
2. There are 2 pieces of information on the enchanted weapon screen: Charge is the current number of charges (2500 in our example) and Use is the number of remaining attacks with the enchanted weapon (125 in our example). Once it depletes, you will be left with your regular weapon (until it is partially or fully recharged).

How to renew uses?

1. The easiest way to recharge an enchanted weapon is to use a filled Soul Gem. These objects come in different varieties - the better gem you use, the more charges can be replenished.
2. You must select a filled Soul Gem from your inventory and then select the enchanted item to be charged. The Soul Gem will be lost as a result of this action - these are single-use items.

Soul Gems are empty by default and must be charged first. You can use the Soul Trap spell for this or a skill from your equipment. The Umbra sword has exactly this skill. You can learn how to acquire this weapon in the FAQ section of this guide.

After activating Soul Trap, you may receive 1 of 2 messages:

1. Successfully captured a soul and it was trapped in a Soul Gem (example in the screenshot).
2. Soul not captured due to a lack of sufficiently large Soul Gem. You must first purchase or find a larger gem.

Some merchants also sell filled Soul Gems, but these are expensive items and your gold is better spent on other things.

1. Using a Varla stone is also a great technique to recharge an enchanted weapon (example in the screenshot). This action allows you to fully recharge your weapon, so it is best to use it only after all charges have been depleted. You can find Varla Stones in elven ruins along with other loot.

Azura's Star is another artifact used to recharge enchanted weapons. It works similarly to Soul Gems, but has 2 very important advantages.

1. You can catch souls of all sizes. You will not receive a message about the inability to trap a larger soul.
2. Azura's Star is not lost when the weapon is charged, but is only emptied. You can use it again afterwards to catch more souls.

1. The last main option is to visit the Mages Guild and pay for the service of recharging your enchanted weapon. This can be a very expensive process and it is much better to try the other (free) techniques we have described above first.

See also:

1. Game guide
2. Azura
3. How to repair equipment?

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

April 22, 2025

Rate It!

• Overview
• Guide
• Maps