I checked a light hammer and a war axe. When enchanted on the same level (here “depleting”), the “per hit” damage to magicka is markedly different!
Does this depend upon weapon class (light, versatile,heavy) or materials (silver, dwarven)?
Is the difference such, that it is exactly counterbalanced by weapon speed?
TLDR:
My question is motivated by my desire to craft a weapon which can quickly limit enemy magicka in arena. At the very low levels where I fight, my opponents don’t watch their fighting at all, but quickly finish me with a couple of spells. I will of course adapt my skill tree over time, but as it stands, such a weapon would be nice.
Best Answer
Enhancement strength is determined by weapon type used (light, versatile, heavy). To adjust for the difference in swing speed and how much of the elemental damage can be applied in a set amount of time, heavy weapons get a greater per hit damage than versatile, and versatile has a greater per hit damage than light. In your case, while you may take more magicka per hit on the war axe, you can get more hits over time with the light hammer.
This applies to all enchantments that provide an "on hit" bonus, not just weapon enchantments. For example, there are gauntlet & ring enchantments that restore health, stamina, and magicka per hit. In the enchantment description, it splits the amount restored per hit by light/versatile/heavy weapon types. This is, again, to adjust to the amount of hits that can be delivered over time by those weapon types, and leveling out the bonus of the enchantment to accommodate.
Source: https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-elder-scrolls-blades/Enchanting#WEAPON_ENCHANTMENTS