fortify smithing gear not working??

[Daelon DuLac]

all you have to do is put 1 sec on the soul trap because it takes the soul on the blow that kills the enemy. (if the soul trap weapon is used on the last blow of course)

While that's true, if you're in the middle of a fight, are you going to take the time to suddenly switch weapons? I always found that silly. Yes, let's pause the action so I can change weapons so I can capture the soul. Why not just use a longer interval and make it easier on yourself? Mine are at 11 & 12 seconds. That's plenty of time to deal the damage and still capture the soul. Sorry, I like a little more reality in my fights. My enemies wouldn't normally stop for me to change weapons, they'd keep attacking me.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I don’t use any blacksmith elixir or potion. I just enchanted one single item ( I do prefer a ring ) with the fortify smithing and I wear it anytime I want to increase my weapon damage. I did what you did but I found that my new way is better than the other. When I had 4 items, they were enchanted to 25 or close to I guess; now I do have only one ring enchanted with fortify smithing to almost 700 so anytime I wear it, the damage of my weapon goes up to approximately 400 +.
Of course this is cheating but hey, alchemy, enchanting and smithing are for you to use as you please, so it is up to you how far do you want to go with them and you can balance out playing expert - master to make your game a bit more difficult. Just my 2 cents ...

What loop did you use to get a +700 on a ring? That just seems wrong. Of course, if I was playing on Master and I needed to deal that much damage, I would probably thank my lucky stars for it!

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Regarding soul trap, what I do is to add that enchantment ONLY when I starting a new game because you need filled soul gems for later use. Once I get to the level that I like, and have enough alchemy ingredients and Grand Soul Gems filled with Grand Souls, I don’t add the soul trap to any weapon. If still need to soul trap, then I use my spell.
Remember that only mammoth will give you a Grand Soul to fill your Grand Soul Gems.

What if you want to fill gems quickly and you're not a mage. Isn't it just easier to use a weapon to do it? I have the spell too, but I have never used it as it takes away one of my hands and takes so much time to cast. At least with a weapon I just wack wack and there ya go. One soul to go.

 

[crashhat69]

While that's true, if you're in the middle of a fight, are you going to take the time to suddenly switch weapons? I always found that silly. Yes, let's pause the action so I can change weapons so I can capture the soul. Why not just use a longer interval and make it easier on yourself? Mine are at 11 & 12 seconds. That's plenty of time to deal the damage and still capture the soul. Sorry, I like a little more reality in my fights. My enemies wouldn't normally stop for me to change weapons, they'd keep attacking me.

that's why you put soul trap on the weapon you use constantly..like me ha

 

[Daelon DuLac]

that's why you put soul trap on the weapon you use constantly..like me ha

That's exactly why I put it on the weapons I use constantly. I never kill in one second unless they're weak as water (say a mudcrab).

 

[crashhat69]

but you don't need more than one second for it to work

 

[orca45]

What if you want to fill gems quickly and you're not a mage. Isn't it just easier to use a weapon to do it? I have the spell too, but I have never used it as it takes away one of my hands and takes so much time to cast. At least with a weapon I just wack wack and there ya go. One soul to go.

Yes it is easier if you add the soul trap to the weapon but for example if you want to fill a Grand Soul Gem with a Grand Soul and you only have 5 seconds to kill the mammoth to get its soul trapped and you don’t kill it within 5 seconds, you will not be able to get its soul; on the other side, if you cast the spell, you can continue casting with your left hand while hitting with your right hand and it is more secure you get what you want. Remember that you don’t need to be a mage to cast any spell.

 

[orca45]

What loop did you use to get a +700 on a ring? That just seems wrong. Of course, if I was playing on Master and I needed to deal that much damage, I would probably thank my lucky stars for it!

Well bro, it is the alchemy loop. Basically you need to wear 3 or 4 items enchanted with the basic fortify alchemy; 25% each one of them means 100% by using 4 items ( circlet, gloves, ring and necklace ); while wearing those items, you need about 4 - 5 restoration ingredients ( alecean longfin + salt pile ) and once you finish the loop, you create a fortify enchanting potion. You are done. Then use that fortify enchanting potion to enchant one ring with fortify smithing. Depending on how high your fortify enchanting potion is, you will fortify smithing your ring more or less to the level that you want. You need to try and see by yourself how much powerful you want your fortify enchanting potion will be.
At the end you will end up having ONLY one item ( in this case the ring ) with fortify smithing and is the only item you will wear when smithing your weapons / armors to increase damage.
Before I found out about this way to simplify my work, I was creating fortify smithing potions which is the other way around but as I said, I always try to simplify my work and honestly, nothing is faster than that, because you won’t need anymore to create fortify smithing potions at all but only wearing your fortify smithing ring to increase damage on your weapon / armors.
Last but not the least, some people don’t like to do that. They consider that cheating and they do believe it is not fun anymore to play the game while your weapon have, let’ say : 600 damage ... but again, it is a matter of choice and as I said before, Alchemy, Enchanting and Smithing are at your disposal to use them as you please. Increasing the damage of your weapon is allowed in Skyrim, one or another way so basically you are using what Bethesda allowed you to use and if you play your game in master mode, then you balance out. Just my 2 cents ...

 

[orca45]

What if you want to fill gems quickly and you're not a mage. Isn't it just easier to use a weapon to do it? I have the spell too, but I have never used it as it takes away one of my hands and takes so much time to cast. At least with a weapon I just wack wack and there ya go. One soul to go.

Just to extend a bit about this bro, if you enchant your weapon with soul trap, not always you will fill a gem with a Grand Soul. You will end up with dozens of gems filled in your inventory but not all of them will be Grand but most likely, great or common and they are not the best to use them for enchanting. I don’t pick, I don’t fill and I don’t buy any gem that is not filled with Grand Soul. So far I do have 127 Grand Soul Gems filled with Grand Soul and 43 Black Soul Gems filled with Grand Black Soul. All of them are the best for enchanting and as I said before, I cast my spell if I need to soul trap. I am at level 81 so having my weapon enchanted with soul trap is not necessary in my case. I already passed that part of the game when I needed to have the soul trap enchantment added to my weapon. Just my 2 cents ....

 

[orca45]

If you guys do not want to use the alchemy loop, then the Forge Master fingers ( gloves ) + another item that you find or buy from merchants, enchanted with fortify smithing + the blacksmith elixir ( 50% ), will put your weapon in between 200-250 damage range. I did it before ... but if you want to go higher than that, you must use the alchemy loop at your discretion and increase the damage probably not that high but up to 300-400 and that should be enough for you to cut butter .... I don’t hit ... I kill in one stab ... because I am cruel .... lol ...

 

[Daelon DuLac]

but you don't need more than one second for it to work

I tried that myself, but, if I don't kill it on that first stroke, it won't work. I need to kill it in the alotted time frame or the soul trap enchantment won't work for me. I don't know if it's something that only I am experiencing, but, from my first weapon, I needed to kill the thing within the time frame prescribed or the soul was not captured (example: at level 8 or 9 I had a bow with the enchantment that was 6 seconds - if I could not kill it with the first shot, I had to get a second killing arrow out within that 6 seconds or the soul was not captured). I always set mine for 10 or 11 now just so I'm sure that it dies in the time frame. Could just be me though!

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Yes it is easier if you add the soul trap to the weapon but for example if you want to fill a Grand Soul Gem with a Grand Soul and you only have 5 seconds to kill the mammoth to get its soul trapped and you don’t kill it within 5 seconds, you will not be able to get its soul; on the other side, if you cast the spell, you can continue casting with your left hand while hitting with your right hand and it is more secure you get what you want. Remember that you don’t need to be a mage to cast any spell.

Absolutely. To kill a mammoth in 5 seconds, even at high level is no easy feat, especially since they usually have giants around. That's why I kill the giants first and then the mammoths. That way I get both Greater & Grand souls at the same time. Besides, the giants always have oodles of septims and the occassional chest with even more!

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Well bro, it is the alchemy loop. Basically you need to wear 3 or 4 items enchanted with the basic fortify alchemy; 25% each one of them means 100% by using 4 items ( circlet, gloves, ring and necklace ); while wearing those items, you need about 4 - 5 restoration ingredients ( alecean longfin + salt pile ) and once you finish the loop, you create a fortify enchanting potion. You are done. Then use that fortify enchanting potion to enchant one ring with fortify smithing. Depending on how high your fortify enchanting potion is, you will fortify smithing your ring more or less to the level that you want. You need to try and see by yourself how much powerful you want your fortify enchanting potion will be.
At the end you will end up having ONLY one item ( in this case the ring ) with fortify smithing and is the only item you will wear when smithing your weapons / armors to increase damage.
Before I found out about this way to simplify my work, I was creating fortify smithing potions which is the other way around but as I said, I always try to simplify my work and honestly, nothing is faster than that, because you won’t need anymore to create fortify smithing potions at all but only wearing your fortify smithing ring to increase damage on your weapon / armors.
Last but not the least, some people don’t like to do that. They consider that cheating and they do believe it is not fun anymore to play the game while your weapon have, let’ say : 600 damage ... but again, it is a matter of choice and as I said before, Alchemy, Enchanting and Smithing are at your disposal to use them as you please. Increasing the damage of your weapon is allowed in Skyrim, one or another way so basically you are using what Bethesda allowed you to use and if you play your game in master mode, then you balance out. Just my 2 cents ...

Wow! That is absolutely the most clear I have ever seen the loop described. Even I could handle that, and I usually depend on my helper monkey to do the tough stuff. Thanks! I really don't need weapons that high damage since I'm only on my first round as novice/adept, but this will be great to know for the future (after all, if I'm only doing 1/4 damage vs. 4x received on Master, I definately going to need something!).

 

[Dagmar]

Remember that only mammoth will give you a Grand Soul to fill your Grand Soul Gems.

Dragon Priests and Drauger Death Overlords also have Grand Souls. All Black Souls are Grand Souls as well. You can get the Daedric Artiffact the Black Star to harvest Black Souls which is much easier than harvesting off of Mammoths as even a low level bandit will yield a Black Soul.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Dragon Priests and Drauger Death Overlords also have Grand Souls. All Black Souls are Grand Souls as well. You can get the Daedric Artiffact the Black Star to harvest Black Souls which is much easier than harvesting off of Mammoths as even a low level bandit will yield a Black Soul.

Agreed. The advatage to the Black Star is that it is not destroyed when used and is reusable, apparently forever. Thank you Dagmar for the tip on the other Grand Souls available (although at quite a bit more risk than from a mammoth!).

Perhaps, with your vast pool of knowledge you could answer a question for me? Why do Giants only have Grand souls? Every other sentient/humanoid being has a Grand one. Giants are obviously not that far removed from humans/elves, etc.. and why on earth would a Mammoth have a bigger soul than the sentient giant? Did the giants do something in the past that reduced their souls? Same goes for Falmer. Sure, they may not be the elves they once were, but they are obviously still sentient and somewhat civilized (tactics, dwellings, etc...). You'd think almost any sentient being (hargravens, giants, milk drinkers....) would have a Grand Soul, but no.

 

[Dagmar]

Why do Giants only have Grand souls? Every other sentient/humanoid being has a Grand one.

I take it you mean why don't they have Black Souls. Only the 8 playable races have Black Souls. Being a sentient biped doesn't qualify as Falmer don't have Black Souls either.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I take it you mean why don't they have Black Souls. Only the 8 playable races have Black Souls. Being a sentient biped doesn't qualify as Falmer don't have Black Souls either.

Actually, with Falmer & Giants I was wondering about Grand. I can see that they may not go to Black Soul gems. I was actually wondering why outside of Mammoths (or undead powerhouses), were the only ones I've ever found with Grand Souls. You'd think, at least Giants and Falmer would have them too, although I seem to remember reading that it had to do with toughness (of which giants would qualify, but not most falmer), is that right?

 

[Dagmar]

Giants are lower in level. I wouldn't be surprised if a high level Falmer like a Shadowmaster also yielded a Grand Soul.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Giants are lower in level. I wouldn't be surprised if a high level Falmer like a Shadowmaster also yielded a Grand Soul.

Hmmm... I needs me a couple new Falmer helmets anyhoo, so off to Shimmermist I go!

 

[crashhat69]

I tried that myself, but, if I don't kill it on that first stroke, it won't work. I need to kill it in the alotted time frame or the soul trap enchantment won't work for me. I don't know if it's something that only I am experiencing, but, from my first weapon, I needed to kill the thing within the time frame prescribed or the soul was not captured (example: at level 8 or 9 I had a bow with the enchantment that was 6 seconds - if I could not kill it with the first shot, I had to get a second killing arrow out within that 6 seconds or the soul was not captured). I always set mine for 10 or 11 now just so I'm sure that it dies in the time frame. Could just be me though!

i always get a soul even if it take more than 1 second to kill the enemy. maybe it is you, maybe its because of the firey soul trap enchant, or maybe it's different on higher difficulty i don't know.