How to Enchant Weapons in Elder Scrolls Online: 12 Steps

Enchanting weapons in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is one of those “small” crafting systems that quietly turns your character from “brave adventurer” into “walking OSHA violation.” A good weapon glyph adds damage, debuffs enemies, or keeps your resources topped offall without you lifting a finger beyond, you know, lifting your weapon and bonking things with it.

This guide breaks weapon enchanting into a clean, repeatable 12-step process, with practical examples and a few jokes to keep your brain from turning into a drained soul gem. By the end, you’ll know how to craft glyphs, apply them, recharge them, and pick the right enchantments for your buildwithout accidentally enchanting your dagger with “Disappointment.”

Why Weapon Enchanting Matters in ESO

Weapon enchantments (made as weapon glyphs) are a major source of extra power. Depending on the glyph, your weapon can:

• Deal bonus elemental or poison damage on hit
• Boost your Weapon/Spell Damage for a short time
• Reduce an enemy’s resistances (hello, team damage!)
• Restore Health, Magicka, or Stamina while still hitting things

In other words: enchanting is a low-effort, high-impact upgrade. Even if you never craft again after this, knowing how to enchant a weapon in ESO is basically mandatory for modern builds.

Before You Start: The 60-Second Glyph Cheat Sheet

In ESO, you don’t “enchant” directly. You either find or craft a glyph, then apply it to a weapon. Crafting a glyph requires exactly three runes:

• Potency Rune = the glyph’s level (and whether it’s an “add” or “subtract” style effect)
• Essence Rune = the effect (Fire, Poison, Weapon Damage, Armor reduction, etc.)
• Aspect Rune = the quality (white → green → blue → purple → gold)

If that feels like assembling a sandwich with three different breads… yes. Welcome to Enchanting.

The 12-Step Enchanting Program (No Meetings Required)

Step 1: Decide What You Want Your Weapon to Do

Start with purpose. “More damage” is a purpose, sure, but narrow it down: Are you a DPS looking for raw numbers? A tank applying debuffs? A solo player who wants sustain? Your choice determines which ESO weapon enchantment you’ll craft or buy.

• Pure damage: Flame/Poison/Shock weapon glyphs
• Buff damage: Weapon Damage enchantment (often called “Berserker” in build talk)
• Group debuff: Crusher enchantment (reduces enemy resistances)
• Sustain: Absorb Magicka / Absorb Stamina / Absorb Health

Step 2: Make Sure Your Glyph Level Matches Your Weapon

Glyphs have level requirements, and your weapon must be able to accept it. The safe rule: don’t use a glyph that’s higher level than your weapon. For endgame gear, most players aim for CP 160 glyphs to match CP 160 weapons.

Step 3: Get Access to an Enchanting Table

You can craft glyphs at an Enchanting Station (Enchanting Table), found in major towns and crafting hubs. If you’re in a guild with a crafting hall, you’ll usually find stations lined up like a buffetexcept instead of shrimp, it’s strangers silently judging your rune choices.

Step 4: Collect Runestones (Or Buy Them Like a Responsible Adult)

Runestones are gathered in the world from glowing rune nodes. If farming isn’t your thing (or you value joy), you can buy runes from guild traders. You’ll need:

• 1 Potency Rune
• 1 Essence Rune
• 1 Aspect Rune

Pro tip: if you’re low-level, don’t blow rare aspect runes (especially gold-quality) on starter weapons you’ll replace in 15 minutes. Your future self will thank you. Your current self will complain anyway, but ignore them.

Step 5: Learn the “Add” vs “Subtract” Potency Pattern

Potency runes are basically the steering wheel of enchanting. They set the level tier and often fall into two vibes: additive (boost/damage-style) and subtractive (debuff/absorb-style). If you craft the “wrong vibe,” you’ll get a different glyph than expected.

If you’re new, don’t stress about memorizing every rune name. The crafting UI helps, and you can also “discover” rune translations by experimenting.

Step 6: Pick the Right Essence Rune for a Weapon Glyph

Essence runes determine the actual effect. Examples you’ll see constantly in build guides:

• Fire/Flame (great general DPS)
• Poison (popular for stamina setups and PvP pressure)
• Shock (common on staves, excellent on certain builds)
• Weapon Damage “Power” (used for short bursts of extra Weapon/Spell Damage)
• Armor/Resist reduction (the backbone of Crusher-style debuffs)

A quick sanity check: if you want a weapon enchantment, make sure the result is a weapon glyph, not armor or jewelry. The UI icons are your friend.

Step 7: Choose an Aspect Rune (Quality) Without Setting Your Wallet on Fire

Aspect runes control quality: white → green → blue → purple → gold. Higher quality means stronger enchantments. The classic advice is:

• Leveling / casual gear: white/green/blue is fine
• Serious builds: purple is common
• Endgame min-max: gold (but only on gear you’ll keep)

Gold aspect runes are valuable. Treat them like fancy cheese: delicious, expensive, and easy to regret if you waste them.

Step 8: Craft the Glyph at the Enchanting Table

At the Enchanting Table, select the creation panel and slot: Potency + Essence + Aspect. This forms a “rune phrase” that crafts the glyph. If the preview doesn’t look like what you intended, swap the Potency (add vs subtract) firstthis is the most common fix.

Congratulations: you have created a tiny magical sticker you will slap on a murder implement.

Step 9: Apply the Glyph to Your Weapon (And Accept That It Overwrites the Old One)

Applying is done from your inventory, not the crafting station. On PC/Mac, you typically right-click the weapon and choose to enchant, then pick a glyph. On console, you use the appropriate action button to open the enchanting window and choose your glyph.

Important: applying a glyph replaces the existing enchantment. If you liked the old enchant, take a screenshot, say a few kind words, and move on.

Step 10: Recharge Your Weapon Enchantment (Because It’s Not a Perpetual Motion Machine)

Weapon enchantments consume charges as they trigger. When charges run out, your enchantment stops workingyour weapon becomes spiritually tired. Recharge it using a filled Soul Gem.

On PC/Mac, you can recharge from the inventory by hovering the weapon and using the recharge command (it consumes a Soul Gem). Keep a stack of filled gems if you run dungeons, arenas, or anything labeled “Veteran” and/or “Regret.”

Step 11: Improve Results with Smart Pairings (Traits, Bars, and Roles)

Enchantments shine when paired with the right weapon setup. A few widely used ideas:

• Infused weapon trait often boosts enchantment strength and/or uptime, making popular enchants feel “always on.”
• Back bar utility setups commonly carry debuff enchants (like Crusher) while your main bar focuses on damage.
• Group play benefits from at least one player keeping resistance reduction active.

Think like a team: if everyone brings only damage procs, nobody brings the “make the enemy squishier” sauce.

Step 12: Level Enchanting Faster (So Future-You Has Options)

You don’t need max Enchanting to apply glyphs, but leveling it gives you control: better glyph tiers, better quality, and less reliance on the market. The two biggest Enchanting XP strategies:

• Deconstruct glyphs (especially ones crafted by other players) for strong inspiration gains.
• Do daily Enchanting writs after certification for consistent materials, inspiration, and routine progress.

If you want the “fast lane,” partner with a friend: craft glyphs, trade, and deconstruct each other’s. It’s wholesome. It’s efficient. It’s also the closest most MMO players get to a healthy relationship.

Best Weapon Enchantments in ESO (Practical Picks)

Meta shifts and builds vary, but these enchantments stay popular because they’re broadly useful. Use them as a starting point:

DPS Favorites

• Flame / Poison / Shock Damage: consistent extra damage on proc
• Weapon Damage enchantment: short buff window that boosts output
• Absorb Stamina/Magicka: damage + resource sustain for longer fights

Tank and Utility Staples

• Crusher: reduces enemy resistances; huge team benefit when maintained
• Weakening: reduces enemy damage (situational, but helpful in rough content)
• Absorb Health: extra survivability for solo tanks or off-meta setups

Quick Example Loadouts

• Solo stamina build: Poison or Absorb Stamina on main weapon
• Dungeon DPS: Weapon Damage enchantment (buff) on main bar, elemental proc on the other
• Group tank: Crusher on an Infused back bar weapon for strong uptime

Troubleshooting: “Why Isn’t My Enchantment Working?”

Your enchantment has no charges

Recharge with a filled Soul Gem. If you see your enchantment stopped proccing, this is usually the culprit.

Your glyph doesn’t match the weapon

Weapon glyphs only apply to weapons, and the glyph’s level can’t exceed the weapon’s level. If the UI won’t let you apply it, check both.

You crafted the “wrong” glyph

Most mistakes come from Potency selection (additive vs subtractive). Swap the Potency rune first, then re-check the preview.

Conclusion

Weapon enchanting in ESO isn’t complicated once you see the pattern: pick a goal, assemble Potency + Essence + Aspect, craft your glyph, apply it, and keep it charged. The real mastery comes from choosing the right enchantment for your role and content because “I enchanted my bow with something expensive” is not the same as “I enchanted my bow with something useful.”

Whether you’re chasing bigger DPS numbers, helping your group melt bosses, or just trying to stop running out of stamina at the worst possible time, a smart weapon glyph is one of the cleanest upgrades you can make in Tamriel.

Bonus: of Battle-Tested Enchanting Experience (So You Don’t Learn the Hard Way)

Here’s the stuff experienced players usually learn after a week of expensive experiments and one emotionally scarring trip to the guild trader search bar. First: treat gold-quality glyphs like you treat “I should text my ex” thoughtspause, breathe, and ask if this is really the moment. If your weapon isn’t a permanent part of your build (or at least CP 160 and likely to stay), purple is often the sweet spot: strong enough to matter, not so costly that you feel physical pain when you upgrade your gear two days later.

Second: if you play group PvE, your enchantment choices are secretly a teamwork test. Many players default to damage procs because they’re flashy and they make numbers appear. But the unglamorous enchantslike resistance reductioncan translate into a bigger group damage increase than another personal proc. If you’ve ever wondered why some groups “feel” stronger even when everyone has similar gear, a lot of it comes down to buffs and debuffs being maintained consistently. The best enchantment is often the one that stays active and supports your group’s plan, not the one that looks coolest on paper.

Third: sustain enchants are underrated for real-life gameplay. Sure, the perfect rotation guides may assume you never miss a weave, never panic dodge, and never get distracted by a guar doing something adorable in the background. In reality, fights get messy. Absorb resource glyphs can smooth out those mistakes and keep you from hitting the dreaded “out of stamina” moment right when the boss decides it’s time for interpretive dance with AoEs.

Fourth: charging your weapon isn’t optionalunless you enjoy the exciting mini-game called “Why is my build suddenly bad?” Keep filled Soul Gems handy. Make recharging part of your routine before long sessions, especially if you’re farming, pushing arenas, or chain-running dungeons. Weapon enchants drain over time, and nothing ruins momentum like realizing your fancy enchant has been offline since three boss pulls ago.

Fifth: leveling Enchanting can be fast if you treat it like a project instead of a vibe. Deconstructing glyphsespecially ones made by other playersis a classic power-level technique, and daily writs add steady progress and materials. If you want to be self-sufficient, the goal isn’t just “hit 50,” it’s “hit 50 and have enough rune knowledge and passives to craft what you actually use.” The payoff is huge: you stop being at the mercy of market prices, you can tailor enchants to your exact loadout, and you can pivot builds without needing to buy a new pile of magical stickers every time.