Skyrim player realized he was an idiot when he enchanted a helmet with water breathing while playing as an Argonian

Long RPG sessions put the brain on autopilot – hands craft, enchant, and sort loot faster than the mind can ask "why." Usually that ends with three hundred spare arrows lying around. Sometimes, though, it ends with an enchantment that duplicates an ability the character already has built in.

One Skyrim player posted a clip showing off a shiny new helmet carrying the "Waterbreathing" effect, then pulled the helmet off to reveal an Argonian face underneath. As a mitigating factor, he mentioned it had been a while since he last played a lizard, opening the post with a blunt confession:

I've always suspected I may be an idiot. Realized the helmet I enchanted days ago has proven that theory correct.

Argonians in Skyrim breathe underwater by default, indefinitely, with no scrolls, potions, or enchantments required. That comes bundled with faster swimming, Hist skin health regeneration, a lockpicking bonus, and five points each toward light armor, sneak, restoration, alteration, and pickpocketing. The enchantment landed on a slot that was already off-limits for this race from birth.

What makes it sting is that the same effect is nearly free even for humans and elves. Waterbreathing potions pile up in underwater stashes, the dragon priest mask Volsung from Volskygge grants the same thing plus twenty percent to carry weight and merchant prices, and the enchantment itself doesn't scale with soul gem size, so the smallest gem does the job. That helmet slot could have carried reduced destruction or alteration spell costs instead, saving weapon charge on elemental damage and paralysis effects even for a character who doesn't consider themselves a mage.

There's also the question of whether waterbreathing matters in Skyrim at all. Underwater content is thin – most sunken chests sit at depths a single breath can handle, and the developer conveniently scattered those same potions near the genuinely deep spots. Compare that to Morrowind, where the seafloor held caves, flooded Dwemer ruins, entire Daedric ruins, and packs of well-armed dreugh, giving players an actual reason to swim.

The player behind this whole story decided not to disenchant the helmet, choosing instead to put it on display in Breezehome in Whiterun. A fitting museum piece: an artifact that cancels out an ability that was never active to begin with.