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where to get black soul gems oblivion

You can get Black Soul Gems in Oblivion in two main ways: looting them (often from necromancers and hidden stashes) and creating them yourself at special altars during a specific lunar event.

Fast answer: easiest spots

  • Necromancer dungeons (Howling Cave, Dark Fissure, etc.) often have Black Soul Gems on high‑level necromancers and altars.
  • The basement of the Cheydinhal Mages Guild can contain two hidden Black Soul Gems in a locked container, but you need access to the Guildmaster’s quarters and a bit of sneaking.
  • Story/quest rewards: you are given a Black Soul Gem during the Mages Guild quest “Confront the King,” and you need one for Vaermina’s Daedric quest.
  • Crafting: take a Grand Soul Gem to a special altar (like Dark Fissure) on the right day and use Soul Trap on it to turn it into a Black Soul Gem.

Natural spawn locations

Necromancers and their lairs

Black Soul Gems are strongly associated with necromancers in Cyrodiil, so many players farm them by clearing necromancer caves and ruins.

Key points:

  • Any necromancer-heavy dungeon can spawn them on:
    • Necromancer bosses/adepts (higher chance).
    • Chests and containers near conjuration/ritual areas.
  • Community reports mention:
    • Howling Cave (tied to Meridia’s shrine quest, several necromancer adepts that can carry them at level 10+).
* Various necromancer lairs visited during the “Collecter” quest and Mages Guild line, some with altars that can hold or create Black Soul Gems.

Example run: clear necromancer caves around Cheydinhal and the Imperial City, loot bosses and ritual tables, then fast travel, wait a few days, and repeat for respawns.

Hidden and fixed gems

Several places give you effectively “guaranteed” or semi-fixed Black Soul Gems if you know where to look.

  • Cheydinhal Mages Guild basement
    • Reported stash of two Black Soul Gems hidden in a locked dresser in an off‑limits area, requiring key theft or good lockpicking and timing when the Guildmaster leaves his room.
  • Mages Guild questline
    • One Black Soul Gem is given to you during “Confront the King,” which serves both as a plot item and a usable gem.
  • Daedric quest: Vaermina
    • Vaermina’s quest explicitly requires a Black Soul Gem and directs you to a ritual altar in the Cheydinhal region, indirectly pointing you at one of the easiest ways to obtain or create one.

These “fixed” options are ideal if you just need a single gem for a quest or to unlock enchanting early.

How to create Black Soul Gems (altars & timing)

If you want more than a couple, crafting them from Grand Soul Gems is the reliable long‑term method.

What you need

  • 1× empty Grand Soul Gem (not filled).
  • A Soul Trap spell (or equivalent effect).
  • Access to a necromantic altar at one of several locations.

Altar locations

These shrines all work for transforming Grand Soul Gems into Black Soul Gems during the special lunar event:

  • Dark Fissure – southeast of Cheydinhal, near the Panther (Road) River.
  • Fort Istirus – east of Kvatch.
  • Fort Linchal – northeast of Kvatch.
  • Wendelbek – by the Panther River.

Each site has a white altar draped with red cloth; this is where you place the Grand Soul Gem.

Shade of the Revenant timing

The ritual only works on specific “Shade of the Revenant” days, which recur every 8 in‑game days.

  • On the right day, a purple beam of light shines down from the sky onto the altar.
  • Community players note that you do not need to stress about the exact phase name as long as:
    • It is a day evenly divisible by 8 in the in‑game calendar.
    • You visit between midnight and roughly 1 a.m. local time and see the purple light.

Step‑by‑step ritual

  1. Bring an empty Grand Soul Gem to one of the altars listed above.
  1. Wait in‑game until a Shade of the Revenant day and around midnight, watching for the purple beam over the altar.
  1. Activate the altar and place the Grand Soul Gem into it while the beam is active.
  1. Cast Soul Trap on the altar itself (not on an enemy).
  1. Reopen the altar container: your Grand Soul Gem is now an empty Black Soul Gem.

Players note that this works even if you ignore the visible light and just follow the date rule and time window, as long as it is one of those special days.

Extra tips and community tricks

Players on forums share a few practical tricks and opinions about farming and using Black Soul Gems:

  • Loot vs. crafting:
    • Looting necromancers is good early game, but crafting at altars is considered the best way to stockpile gems later.
  • Grand Soul Gem sources:
    • Grand gems can be bought from Mages Guild merchants and certain Imperial City magic shops, or stolen from display cases in places like the Chorrol Mages Guild and the Arcane University.
  • Duplication:
    • Some players mention using in‑game duplication glitches on empty Black Soul Gems but not on filled ones, depending on your platform and whether you want to exploit glitches.
  • Why bother if they’re like grand gems?
    • Mechanically, Black Soul Gems have the same maximum capacity as Grand Soul Gems (1600), but they are designed to hold humanoid “black” souls and are required for certain necromancy‑related uses and quests.

“Pretty sure any place that has necromancers will have them.” – common sentiment in community threads about where to get Black Soul Gems in Oblivion.

TL;DR

If you just need a quick Black Soul Gem in Oblivion, hit necromancer caves (especially Dark Fissure or Howling Cave), check the Cheydinhal Mages Guild basement stash, or progress the Mages Guild questline for a guaranteed one.

For a steady supply, buy or steal Grand Soul Gems, then take them to Dark Fissure, Fort Istirus, Fort Linchal, or Wendelbek on a Shade of the Revenant night, place them on the altar under the purple light, and cast Soul Trap to convert them.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.