Skyrim: The 20 Best Weapons & How To Find Them (2024)

The best weapons in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are necessary to help players perform their best during various combat scenarios. Due to their stats and perks, some of these items can be quite difficult to obtain, but the detour will ultimately be well worth the trouble. From two-handed swords to slick, silent bows, any Dragonborn can find a powerful Skyrim weapon to fit their personal playstyle.

For those looking to become incredibly overpowered, a host of weapons available can help players achieve their dream build. Experimenting with different weapon types can be a great way to spice up your RPG experience until you find one that fits, making you nearly unstoppable on the battlefield.

20 Wuuthrad Battleaxe

Effective Against Elves

Many of the game's battleaxes are powerful, sporting high-damage stats and enchantments to take on powerful foes, and Wuuthrad is no exception. It has a base damage output of 25, which is enough to kill most low-health enemies on its own. However, it deserves extra praise because of its passive ability to do 1.2x damage to each of the Elder Scrolls Elf Types.

To obtain Wuuthrad, players must complete the 'Glory of the Dead' quest. By simply traveling back to the tomb after the mission is completed, you can pick up and use one of Skyrim's best weapons.

19 The Rueful Axe

Complete A Morbid Quest

The Rueful Axe is an artifact of the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile, originally given to a mage to cure his daughter of lycanthropy, but the battleaxe is also available to the Dragonborn. Its base damage output of 22 rivals some of the best two-handed weapons, but it can also be enchanted or upgraded like usual weapons to improve its utility.

To find the Rueful Axe, players must complete the quest called 'A Daedra's Best Friend.' The hardest part about this quest is that you'll need to fulfill Clavicus Vile's request to kill Barbas in Skyrim - but those willing to put their morality aside will receive one of Skyrim's most powerful weapons as a reward.

18 Mehrunes' Razor

Can Kill Enemies In One Hit

Mehrune's Razor has a 2% chance of instantly taking down any foe, which may sound a bit low, but it's important to note that this includes even the most powerful enemies in the game (such as dragons). This makes it a fantastic secondary weapon for any dual-wield character build.

By completing 'Pieces of the Past,' players can obtain one of the best daggers in Skyrim and try their luck. It'll require sacrificing Silus Vesuius in cold blood, though, as sparing him will allow him to return home, and Mehrune's Razor will become unobtainable for the rest of the game.

17 Nightingale Blade

Drains Health & Stamina

The Nightingale Blade is a leveled sword that deals 10-14 points of damage and simultaneously absorbs 5-25 points of health and stamina. It is a less invasive alternative to becoming a vampire in Skyrim and one of the game's most powerful weapons.

Finding the Nightingale Blade involves completing the Thieves’ Guild quest, 'Hard Answers', and obtaining the sword from Karliah, one of the three Nightingales. Those who wear the Nightingale Armor may be especially interested in completing their look with this weapon.

16 Zephyr

Speed-based Dwarven Bow

Zephyr, a unique Dwarven bow, comes with a base damage output of 14, but its 30% faster drawing stat gives it one of the highest DPS values of all the bows in the Skyrim. The Dragonborn will never need to look for another ranged weapon again, especially when combined with the Quick Shot Archery perk, which is a further 30% drawing speed.

The quest required to obtain Zephyr is a bit hard to find, as it’s triggered by reading an in-game book called 'The Aetherium Wars' and then finding a ghost named Katria in The Reach. However, it's ultimately one of the Skyrim side quests with the best rewards, as few bows in the game can match it in terms of power.

15 Blade Of Woe

Astrid's Dark Brotherhood Dagger

The Blade of Woe is owned by Astrid, the leader of the infamous assassin organization known as the Dark Brotherhood. With a base damage output of 12 and an ability to absorb 10 points of health, it’s one of the most powerful weapons in Skyrim's dagger category.

Conveniently, there are multiple ways to obtain the Blade of Woe. Since Astrid isn't an essential NPC, there's always the option of simply killing her and looting her corpse. Less murderous players can get their hands on it at the end of Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood 'Death Incarnate' quest. Finally, it can also be pickpocketed off Astrid, although players will need the Misdirection perk in the Stealth skill tree to succeed.

14 Dawnbreaker

Kills Undead Enemies

Dawnbreaker is a one-handed sword with deals base damage 12, but it shines against Undead enemies and Skyrim's draugr. Besides the substantial burning damage it deals, it also triggers an AoE explosion when fighting foes from beyond the grave. This sword is a reward from Meridia for completing 'The Break of Dawn' quest, which can be a pain but will grant players one of Skyrim's best weapons in the end.

13 Chillrend

Freezes Enemies

Chillrend is a leveled weapon - meaning the intensity of its power only increases with each level - which makes it one of the best Skyrim weapons for both new and veteran players. At its most powerful, this one-handed sword does 30 points of frost damage to health and stamina against every enemy while triggering a chance to paralyze them.

Players can find the sword at the end of the Riftweald Manor tunnels during 'The Pursuit.' Once players enter this area, it will permanently determine the level of the sword, so it's best to wait until level 46 to unlock the best possible version of Chillrend.

12 Mace of Molag Bal

Dominated & Overpowers Enemies

Being the God of Destruction and a Daedric Prince from Oblivion, Molag Bal loathes mortals and wishes to subjugate them. The Mace of Molag Bal is his artifact, and, true to its name, it's a powerful Skyrim weapon to acquire.

Aside from a base 25 damage to stamina and magicka, the mace also fills any empty Soul Gems in a player's inventory if the target is defeated within 3 seconds. To get the Mace of Molag Bal, the Dragonborn must complete the Daedric quest 'The House of Horrors,' which hides an obscure Skyrim Easter egg that most players missed.

11 Bound Bow

Weapon Conjuration Spell

Although not a physical weapon, the Bound Bow is one of the best long-range weapons in Skyrim, classed under the Conjuration spell category. Players require the Adept skill, which must be specced to Level 50 to use this magical weapon. However, doing so allows you to swiftly conjure up a majestic ethereal version of the Daedric Bow and ethereal arrows at Magicka's cost.

This weapon stands apart from all other bows in Skyrim, as players won't need to worry about running out of ammo and having to craft or buy arrows. While there is a limited amount you can conjure up in a specific time frame, you can simply use your mana to recast it. By leveling up Magicka and Conjuration skills, you can summon the Bound Bow as often as possible, ensuring you are never empty-handed in combat.

Moreover, using the Bound Bow gives players many advantages aside from combat, such as if you're ever thrown into prison with all your items confiscated, you will have your bow. Using this weapon increases both the Conjuration and Archery skills, allowing you to simultaneously level up several unique proficiencies in Skyrim.

FudgeMuppet demonstrates how to find the Bound Bow early in your gameplay and how you can summon it fast. The YouTuber suggests leveling up to Level 4, giving you +30 Magicka to meet the casting requirements. See the table below for its base stats and effects:

10 Windshear

A Unique Scimitar

Scimitars are hard to come by in general, and since they tend to lack power, most Dragonborn will find little qualms with this. The sole exception to this rule, however, is Windshear, which has a unique enchantment that makes finding it worthwhile (unlike using alchemy in Skyrim, which isn't worth it).

Players must look around to obtain this powerful Skyrim weapon on The Katariah, a ship that can only be accessed during the 'Hail Sithis!'quest for the Dark Brotherhood. Windshear can be found on the frontend bow, embedded deep into the wooden beam.

9 The Staff of Magnus

Effective Against Sorcerers

'The Staff of Magnus' is one of the most challenging quests in Skyrim, but it allows players to obtain an immensely strong staff of the same name. It absorbs 20 magicka per second, but if the target is out of magicka, it'll begin to drain 20 health per second instead. This makes it especially advantageous against mages. During the quest, players must defeat a highly capable Dragon Priest in Skyrim.

8 Auriel's Bow

Effective Against Undead Enemies

Auriel’s Bow is an artifact belonging to the Elven god Auriel and has some pretty nifty features. For one, its base damage output of 13 is quite high for a bow, making it an excellent choice for ranged fights. It also applies 20 points of sun damage to the target, which is equivalent to the base game's fire damage.

Thanks to its tripled effectiveness against Undead enemies and its low draw time, Auriel's Bow is one of Skyrim's best weapons. Players can receive it at the end of the 'Touching the Sky' quest, which requires the Dawnguard DLC.

7 Soulrender & Bloodscythe

The Best Duo

Soulrender and Bloodscythe make for a harmonious yet underrated pairing, just like Skyrim's most perfect armor combos. When used together, the scimitars will deal 15 points of damage to both health and magicka, and they also have a chance to reduce the effectiveness of an enemy’s armor, making them a well-rounded choice for just about any battle.

Soulrender and Bloodscythe can be found in the Dragonborn DLC through the 'Deathbrand' quest. Therein, these powerful Skyrim weapons will be found near the skeletal remains of their previous owner, a pirate named Haknir Death-Brand.

6 The Dragonbone Mace

Craftable One-Handed Weapon

The Dragonbone line of weapons, which is available in the Dawnguard expansion, features some of the game's most versatile armaments. The Dragonbone Mace is an excellent example, as it has the highest base damage out of any craftable one-handed weapon.

It can be created at a forge, but players can also obtain it by defeating one of the three Keepers in the Soul Cairn, where souls go after being captured in Skyrim. Whereas they'll need a Smithing level of 100 and the Dragon Armor perk to craft this weapon, they'll only need to have a character level of 45 to find it on the body of a Keeper during the "Chasing Echoes" quest.

5 Miraak's Sword

Skyrim's Strongest Sword

Being another leveled weapon in Skyrim, the potential of Miraak’s Sword increases with the player's own power. As its name would imply, it belongs to Miraak: a powerful Dragon Priest and a fellow Dragonborn who stands in direct opposition to the player during the aptly named Dragonborn DLC in Skyrim.

Completing this DLC is no easy feat, requiring players to defeat the formidable Miraak during the 'At the Summit of Apocrypha' quest. ESO on YouTube streamed their entire experience of dealing with this boss fight, utilizing lots of consumable items and potions to aid them in battle.

Upon slaying Skyrim's most tragic villain, you can walk straight up to his corpse in the arena and pick up his full set of armor as well as his sword. It’s the lightest one-handed sword, with a weight of only three, but it can dish out many points of base damage. This makes it the highest DPS weapon of its class, as shown in the table of weapon stats and other effects below:

4 Dragonbane

Effective Against Dragons

Contrary to popular belief, Skyrim's strongest animals aren't dragons, but they're still quite difficult to slay and often incredibly time-consuming. Luckily, the fittingly-titled Dragonbane can aid players in this regard with its unique capabilities.

A leveled one-handed katana belonging to the Blades deals between 10 and 14 points of base damage. However, it'll do a further 10 points of shock damage to non-dragon foes or, more impressively, a whopping 20 to 40 additional damage to dragons. Dragonbane can be found in the Sky Haven Temple during the 'Alduin’s Wall' quest, alongside a full set of Blades armor.

3 Ebony Blade

A Royal Katana

The Ebony Blade is a katana associated with the elusive Daedric Prince of secrecy, Mephala. Its base damage isn't great, but it has a fascinating and unique ability: for every trusted ally that the player murders in cold blood, it will gain the capacity to drain more health from its opponents.

Though they should avoid all of Skyrim's essential followers for obvious reasons, particularly cunning Dragonborn can kill up to 10 friends with this blade to maximize its effects and achieve a staggering 30 points of health absorption on hit.

The Ebony Blade can be found underneath Dragonsreach during the Daedric quest, 'The Whispering Door'. However, it's only available to those who have reached level 20 and have completed the 'Dragon Rising' quest.

2 Drainblood Battleaxe

Fight Like The Draugre

The Drainblood Battleaxe is the most powerful of the four ghost weapons in Skyrim, which are rare, obtainable armaments that players may recognize from the arsenals of spectral draugr. It has a base damage output of 21, but every blow absorbs a further 15 points of health, making it one of the best two-handed weapons in the game.

Plus, it has a measly weight of five, making it much lighter than most weapons and thus a relief to the Dragonborn, proving why Elder Scrolls6 needs a new inventory system. To locate the Drainblood Battleaxe, players must keep a close eye out for this item on Draugr corpses as they explore the Labyrinthian during the 'Staff of Magnus' quest.

1 Dwarven Black Bow of Fate

Chance To Absorb Health, Magicka, & Stamina

The Dwarven Black Bow of Fate is a powerful Skyrim weapon with well-rounded enchantments and an element of luck. Aside from its base damage of 13, the bow has a 50% chance of absorbing 25 points from health, magicka, and/or stamina with each shot.

It can simply be found in Kagrumez, a Dwemer ruin on the Dragonborn DLC's map in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in Solstheim. It's surprising that, as one of the best weapons, the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate isn't locked behind a quest, so every player who owns the expansion should take advantage of this fact.

Source: FudgeMuppet/YouTube, ESO/YouTube

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

RPG

Action

Adventure

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:81/100 Critics Recommend:83%

Franchise

The Elder Scrolls

Platform(s)

PC , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

November 11, 2011

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks

Engine

Creation Engine

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol

Expansions

Skyrim: Dragonborn , Skyrim: Hearthfire , Skyrim: Dawnguard

How Long To Beat

35 Hours

X|S Enhanced

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

29 GB (DECEMBER 2023)

Metascore

96

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium (Special Edition)

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

Cross Save

no

Cross-Platform Play

no