Sigil Stones vs. Enchanting

[xenxander]

This topic was a tangent in another thread yet I felt it might have some merit to discuss, debate, and/or argue (tastefully) about the pros and cons to the sigil stones vs. the enchanting effects.

 

This is for both categories: armor and weapons. And we're discussing Vanillia Oblivion.

 

So please post about your view on each. I shall start by posting mine.

 

Armor:

Sigil stones I find are far better. Effects of claimed sigil stones increase as your level increases (up to a point) and those effects are far superior than any enchanting can be for worn articles.

 

Weapons:

This is far harder to discuss and I feel will be the meat of this topic. You can place more individual effects through enchanting (we're probably going to always asume a grand soul for enchanting) but far stronger single effects with a sigil stone.

 

I personally feel enchanting is better in this field with the flexibility, for you can't add anything to the sigil atop of what it already has.

[GenghisKhanIT]

For Armor:

IMO there is no discussion - Sigil-stones are by far the best available. Be it Fortify skill/attribute, Chameleon, Feather or Shield, enchantement always stays behind.

 

For Weapons:

as xenxander said, here the discussion is open. IMO it mainly depends wether if you Azura's star or not.

If you have it and use it wisely, enchantements are better. You can create a very powerful elemental damage, add a short soul-trap, get ~20 uses (as ninja_lord said), but you can recharge midfight. Your aim is to kill with the lowest possible number of hits, and you can do it.

To help yourself, there are a number of tricks: you can launch a 30sec soul-trap on your conjured creatures and use them to refill your weapon. You can also add soul-trap on your elemental damage spells, so if you kill your enemy with a fireball, its soul will not go wasted.

This way I catch 95% of killed creatures' souls and keep my weapons always charged.

 

If you do not have Azura's star and plan not to use it, your fights will be longer and you have to rely more on block-hitback tactics and power-attacks (or hit-hide with bows). I think that 20dmg and 70 hits is more suitable to this fighting style, so Sigil Stones have their role. Needless to say, you can create a very similar spell in any enchantement altar without needing to close a boring Oblivion gate.

Besides, I have to say that this playing style is more satistfying in the long term.

[Fishtank]

The main problem with sigil stones is the fact that there are only sixty of them in vanilla oblivion and that they are leveled, and the effects are randomized. Without cheats or a mod. It is hard to find the sigil stone you want. Enchanted however is an unlimited source, just fill up a soul gem, the effects are choosen based on your spell inventory. However enchanting also has a "max enchantment" on an item, meaning you can't put every effect you want into one.

 

Armor: Best for sigil stones, with four peices of any armor, I can get 100% chameleon. As well as multiple other encahntments already listed on top of my post. ^

 

Weapon: Enchanting is better for this one, as a good weapon can be enchanted with over 50 points of magic damage. The blade of the elements that can kill Jyggalag in four hits is a good example of this.

[madman132]

Enchantment ftw!

With enchantment, you could get a Weapon with up to 41 Points enchantment Damage. Frost damage that is.

Of course, it has very little Charge and uses it up very quickly. But with the massive enchantment damage you may have a sword that rivals Goldbrand even when it comes to sneak attacks, which will multiply the basic damage advantage by six.

The Goldbrand does have a far greater Charge and wont use it up that quickly.

But if you can land sneakattacks on most of your enemies, the little charge of a soulgem wont matter very much, since you may reach your encumbrance limit before draining the Weapons charge empty.

 

If your charge is empty and you dont have any Soulgems, you mave have killed a mage and looted some enchantet Dagger. You can stab this Things empty in no time, since they are very fast.

Soultrap a sleeping bandit in a Fort or something, run up to him and stab him rapidly =).Sometimes i manage to pump enough enchantment damage into the enemy to kill him before his raising animation is finished. Sometimes, the charge of that Dagger is completly drained, but who cares. I have a fresh filled sougem to recharge my "real" Weapon.

[xenxander]

Yes using Azura's Star in conjunction with a soultrap spell while fighting is the best way around 'fast depletion' due to enchanting over sigil stones. Very true sigil stones are strong enchantments for weapons with more 'base' attacks before depletion.

 

As for the number of sigil stones available - to get the effect you wish, you need only quicksave before taking it, check it, and if it's not something you desire, quickload and try again.

 

But some players don't even go to Kvatch their entier game, so will never get sigil stones. For role-play purposes, sigil stones are perhaps better for weapons / armor (especially weapons) as even the dumbest Orc can use them without an altar or any money cost (though money isn't an issue really, mid game on). It's still debatable on which is better and I think the debate will also start to reach into "powergamers vs. Roleplayers" point of view as well (which isn't a bad thing as long as it's not a flame war).

[GenghisKhanIT]

Enchantment ftw!

With enchantment, you could get a Weapon with up to 41 Points enchantment Damage. Frost damage that is.

 

You can obtain much much more damage per hit by combining Vulnerability to magicka, Vulnerability to elemental damage and elemental DOT. Just play around with them a bit.

[ninja_lord666]

...think the debate will also start to reach into "powergamers vs. Roleplayers" point of view as well (which isn't a bad thing as long as it's not a flame war).

Exactly, that's what this all comes down to. Stupid console playing FPSers versus PC super-race roleplayers. When I roleplay, I either have magic, magic/stealth, stealth, or fighting. The first three have no need for for powerful enchanted weapons as they kill with magic or stealth. The last one, obviously, focuses on melee combat, and uses weapons. However, being a plain fighter, (s)he won't have magic, and using magic is uncharacteristic. Anyone who doesn't roleplay and just has one character the master of everything is a dirty console player.

[Obsessed117]

...think the debate will also start to reach into "powergamers vs. Roleplayers" point of view as well (which isn't a bad thing as long as it's not a flame war).

Exactly, that's what this all comes down to. Stupid console playing FPSers versus PC super-race roleplayers. When I roleplay, I either have magic, magic/stealth, stealth, or fighting. The first three have no need for for powerful enchanted weapons as they kill with magic or stealth. The last one, obviously, focuses on melee combat, and uses weapons. However, being a plain fighter, (s)he won't have magic, and using magic is uncharacteristic. Anyone who doesn't roleplay and just has one character the master of everything is a dirty console player.

 

So you are basically saying that you are a bigoted PC gamer who thinks that everyone should have the same opinions as you or die?

 

Now don't get me wrong...Im a pretty big PC gamer, I get almost every game for the PC if possible. But you talk like you think FPSers are on consoles...which is false, real FPS fans play on the PC for the superior controls, online matches, and tournaments while the idiot console players pay extra for online play and the only tournaments they can enter are for Halo (which is a mediocre game)

 

Im just saying that your argument has been brought to many games such as Smash Bros in the sense of Tourney play / Casual play (also known as items on / off) and pretty much every racing or fighting game with exploits used in tournaments (casuals refuse to use them while tourney players abuse them)

 

You should really think about people who have different opinions and seriously, whats stopping you from playing both ways? If you really think that you should roleplay no matter what then you are pretty narrow minded, as if you only make God characters. Hell I do both depending on my mood (I have characters that are all casters / thieves such as my breton and dark elf as well as a High Elf named Chuck Norris and can take out a city with minimal effort)

[ninja_lord666]

You should really think about people who have different opinions and seriously, whats stopping you from playing both ways? If you really think that you should roleplay no matter what then you are pretty narrow minded, as if you only make God characters. Hell I do both depending on my mood (I have characters that are all casters / thieves such as my breton and dark elf as well as a High Elf named Chuck Norris and can take out a city with minimal effort)

Oblivion is a roleplaying game. You roleplay in a roleplaying game. Why is that concept so hard to grasp?

[Abramul]

Oblivion is a roleplaying game? I was under the impression that it was Action/Adventure, or some such. I suppose a "What makes an RPG?" debate would be interesting.

 

On topic edit: Would a character who doesn't like magic really be willing to use Daedric stones of power? In the words of the immortal (until I talked to him) Dagoth Uvil:

Are you in the habit of trusting Daedra Lords? Have you forgotten what scheming, treacherous fiends the Daedra are?

Daedric artifacts have a habit of abandoning their wielders. Why should Sigil enchantments be different?

 

Edit 2: "What Makes an RPG?" debate