Our guide will provide you with a tier list of the best weapons in Skyrim. The famous Dragonbone weapons are dominating the top tiers, but there are a few other exciting choices as well.
Skyrim S-Tier Weapons
Dragonbone Warhammer
Type: Two-Handed Warhammer Base Damage: 28
Dragonbone Warhammer is the most powerful weapon in Skyrim. It can be further improved with Dragon Bone and Dragon Armor perk.
You can loot Dragonbone Warhammer from one of the Keepers in the Soul Cairn plane of Oblivion during the “Beyond Death” main quest. The Keepers are weak to fire damage, but highly resistant to poison damage.
You can also craft this weapon at the blacksmith’s forge, once the Smithing Level 100 has been achieved and the Dragon Armor perk unlocked, using the following recipe:
3x Dragon Bone 2x Ebony Ingot 3x Leather Strip
Nightingale Bow
Type: Archery Bow Base Damage: 19
When looking at the base stats, Nightingale Bow doesn’t appear to be the strongest bow in the game. However, this is a leveled bow, which means that its damage increases as your character levels up. So once you get to Level 46 or higher, then this bow becomes the most powerful bow in the game.
On top of that, Nightingale Bow has two enchantments:
Frost Damage Shock Damage
This weapon cannot be crafted, and the only way to get it is to complete the “Blindsighted” quest, given by Brynjolf, a member of the Thieves Guild in Riften.
Once you obtain the Nightingale Bow, you can improve it with an Ebony Ingot and Arcane Blacksmith perk.
Dragonbone Battleaxe
Type: Two-Handed Battleaxe Base Damage: 26
There isn’t much difference between the Dragonbone Warhammer and Dragonbone Battleaxe. The latter is a bit weaker, but also lighter. You can also opt for a one-handed version, which is the Dragonbone War Axe.
Just like Dragonbone Warhammer, both Battleaxe and War Axe can be obtained by defeating the Keepers at the Soul Cairn. And, if you wish to craft Battleaxe, then use the following recipe once you reach Smithing Level 100:
3x Dragon Bone 2x Ebony Ingot 2x Leather Strip
Skyrim A-Tier Weapons
Dragonbone Greatsword
Type: Two-Handed Greatsword Base Damage: 25
Just like all other Dragonbone weapons, Dragonbone Greatsword is a very powerful sword, which can be picked up after defeating the three Keepers at the Soul Cairn plane.
You can also craft it with the help of the following recipe:
4x Dragon Bone 1x Ebony Ingot 3x Leather Strip
Dragonbane
Type: One-Handed Sword Base Damage: 14
Here is another leveled weapon, but this time it’s a katana that is designed to kill dragons. Dragonbane is imbued with the Shock Damage enchantment that deals bonus damage to dragons, producing a cool visual effect with sparkling electric charges.
Dragonbane cannot be crafted, so the only way to obtain it is to complete the “Alduin’s Wall” quest, given by Esbern, a member of the Blades faction. You can find the sword in the Sky Haven Temple, The Reach.
You can improve Dragonbane with a Quicksilver Ingot and Arcane Blacksmith perk.
Dragonbone Mace
Type: One-Handed Mace Base Damage: 17
If you don’t want to wield heavy two-handed weapons, but you still want a Dragonbone weapon, then pick the Dragonbone Mace.
Once again, it can be dropped by one of the Keepers at the Soul Cair, or you could craft it at the forge using:
2x Dragon Bone 1x Ebony Ingot 1x Leather Strip
Skyrim B-Tier Weapons
Blade of Woe
Type: One-Handed Dagger Base Damage: 12
This dagger is a real masterpiece of a weapon. Although it cannot be compared to other weapons on this list in terms of power, it is still the best dagger in the game with a unique enchantment that absorbs 10 points of HP.
You will not be able to craft Blade of Woe, but you can get it after completing the “Death Incarnate” main quest, or by simply stealing it from Astrid, the leader of the Dark Brotherhood.
Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow
Type: Crossbow Base Damage: 22
A powerful ranged weapon can be of good use to any Dragonborn. The crossbow may not be as convenient as a regular bow, but you will find use of it in some situations, where any other weapon would never work.
What makes this crossbow special is that it completely ignores 50% of armor on your enemies, ultimately giving you that extra damage boost.
You can buy it from Sorine Jurard at Fort Dawnguard, or craft it using the following recipe:
1x Dwarven Crossbow 2x Quicksilver Ingot
Related Guides
Skyrim: How to Get Firewood Skyrim: How to Craft & Find Daedric Armor Skyrim: How to Craft & Find Daedric Weapons
Those are the best weapons in Skyrim. For more Skyrim tips and tricks articles, consider clicking the links above.
