Skyrim Ultimate Weapons Guide: The 25 Best Weapons & How To Find Them

The best weapons in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are necessary to help you perform your 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 you achieve your 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.

25

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, you must complete the ‘Glory of the Dead’ quest. You can pick up and use one of Skyrim’s best weapons by simply traveling back to the tomb after the mission is completed.

24

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, you 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.

23

Champion’s Cudgel

Inflict Elemental Damage To Boost Damage

Defeating General Falx Carius during the “March of the Dead” quest will let you loot the Champion’s Cudgel, a unique Two-Handed Hammer. This weapon already does great physical damage, dealing around 24 damage per strike. However, this hammer is also imbued with an effect called Chaos Magic, which adds even more injury to your enemies.

The Chaos Magic ability randomly deals an extra 25 fire, frost, or shock damage with some of the hits you inflict with the Cudgel. Although you can’t predict which elemental damage activates, the sheer increase in your damage will help you contend with tougher enemies or bosses. Many enemies have protection against the elements though, so this weapon’s effect may not always be effective.

22

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,‘ you can obtain one of the best daggers in Skyrim and try your 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.

21

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.

20

Nightingale Bow

Choose To Attack From Afar Instead

Those whose builds don’t complement the Nightingale Blade could also choose to get the Nightingale Bow from the same Thieves Guild quest. This Bow scales with you, growing steadily in power until its damage caps at 19 when you reach Level 45. However, this weapon also deals 30 Frost damage with every arrow that hits your target, making them slow enough for you to secure the kill.

When you reach the damage cap, the Nightingale Bow also starts dealing an extra 15 Shock damage with your arrows, increasing its damage even further. This Bow is perfect for those committed to a stealth Bow build, where critical strikes while hidden can almost one-shot anyone. Even when you’re spotted, this Bow does around 64 damage overall every shot, which will tear through enemy life bars fast.

19

The Pale Blade

Make Enemies Fear The Chill Of Death

The Pale Blade is another One-Handed Sword you can get inside the Frostmere Crypt area early in your adventures. One of the strongest weapons found at Skyrim‘s beginning, The Pale Blade’s base damage is 8-11, which seems somewhat small compared to other tools. However, the Sword’s special ability inflicts even more punishment to those who stand in your way.

Whenever you hit an enemy with The Pale Blade, you also inflict an enchantment called Ice Terror. This ability deals an extra 25 points of Frost damage with every strike and causes Fear for 30 seconds against enemies who are susceptible to becoming afraid. Frost damage lowers an enemy’s health and stamina, but the Fear effect is what truly makes this weapon useful.

The Fear effect of Ice Terror scales with your level, so you can only cause enemies to flee if they are at a certain level. However, just the extra Frost damage alone is enough to make this weapon extremely strong at low levels for your Dragonborn.

18

Volendrung

Drain Stamina To Keep Swinging

Another early-game weapon you can get is Volendrung, a Two-Handed Warhammer that swings about as fast as any Greatsword. Unlike other hammers, Volendrung seems to strike faster at your enemies, dealing an astounding 25 damage per hit. Those who invest points into the Two-Handed skill tree can have even greater skills with this weapon, especially if they invest in this trait from their adventure’s beginning.

Volendrung can be found when you complete “The Cursed Tribe” quest, which asks you to work with an NPC named Atub to complete a ritual.

Volendrung also drains 50 points of Stamina from an enemy with every hit, allowing you to greatly sap the energy of your opponents. This not only reduces their attacks but also gives you the energy to hit harder or use the weapon more. Every swing of a physical weapon takes Stamina, but with Volendrung, every hit almost regenerates the Stamina it took to swing it in the first place.

17

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 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.

16

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 you will need the Misdirection perk in the Stealth skill tree to succeed.

15

Dawnbreaker

Kills Undead Enemies

Dawnbreaker is a one-handed sword that deals 12 base damage, 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 you one of Skyrim‘s best weapons in the end.

However, those who have become a vampire in Skyrim should avoid using Dawnbreaker since its special perks against the undead don’t discriminate and will damage your character.

14

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.

You can find the sword at the end of the Riftweald Manor tunnels during ‘The Pursuit.’ Once you 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.

13

Mace of Molag Bal

Dominates & 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 your 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.

12

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. You 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 you 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.

What’s more, utilizing this as your primary magical weapon will allow you to have a physical blade or sword in Skyrim in your other hand. This is an excellent measure for emergencies, such as if your mana runs out and the conjured bow vanishes.

Moreover, using the Bound Bow gives you 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:

With the Mystic Binding perk, the base damage of the Bound Bow increases by +6 to 24. Use the Quiet Casting perk to summon it in silence, to not reveal your position in a stealth run. These perks make it the strongest bow in Skyrim, useful for both Magick and long-range weapon users.

11

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).

Bashing with this one-handed sword can paralyze the enemy, but hacking and slashing with it regularly will also deal a significant amount of damage.

You 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.

10

The Staff of Magnus

Effective Against Sorcerers

‘The Staff of Magnus’ is one of the most challenging quests in Skyrim, but it allows you 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, you must defeat a highly capable Dragon Priest in Skyrim.

To even the odds, it’s wise to take along a follower or two. After all, those who come out on top will find they’re an absolute menace against sorcerers with the Staff of Magnus.

9

Bloodskal Blade

Fire Beams Of Energy For Massive Damage

The Two-Handed Greatsword known as the Bloodskal Blade does a modest 21 damage per strike, but this weapon has one of the most unique abilities in Skyrim. Every time you launch a strong attack with this weapon, a beam of energy is generated as a lethal projectile. You can choose to create a horizontal or vertical beam based on your movements.

Anyone trying to get the Bloodskal Blade must have access to the “Dragonborn” DLC, as the weapon can be obtained by completing “The Final Descent” quest in Raven Rock Mine in the DLC’s Solstheim region.

The Bloodskal Blade is similar to the Moonlight Greatsword in Dark Souls titles, but the blade has the same stats as a Glass Greatsword at first. Each energy beam you conjure deals 30 extra damage, greatly improving the Greatsword’s overall effectiveness. With the right Smithing and Two-Handed Perks, you can make these beams even stronger to cleave through enemies anywhere within 15 feet of your character.

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. You 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 you 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.