Most Powerful Weapons In Skyrim, Ranked

Highlights

• one go, making it a formidable weapon in any battle. Additionally, if the target dies within 3 seconds, their soul is trapped in a gem. This mace is a must-have for any player looking to deal massive damage and collect souls.

With the two expansion packs and the base game, Skyrim players have access to a staggering number of powerful and useful weapons. Granted, with the enchanting skill any weapon can become deadly and players will find that their own customized weapon beats a legendary sword or mythical bow any day.

But for those who want to find the most powerful weapon in Skyrim without putting in any work, there are a number of bows, blades, and axes that the player can use to become an unstoppable Dragonborn.

Updated on December 9, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is one of the most popular video games ever made, and the release of Starfield has just fueled the notion that Bethesda peaked with this one-of-a-kind RPG that has been modded to kingdom come. During a player’s adventures in Skyrim, they are bound to come across several weapons that will aid them in their travels. Depending on the Dragonborn’s stats, they can certainly inflict a ton of damage with their weapon of choice, with some of these bows, axes, staves, swords, staffs, and everything else along the same lines being ridiculously powerful at times.

22 Staff Of Magnus

A Unique Staff That Absorbs Magicka And Health

The Staff Of Magnus can be acquired during the course of the College of Winterhold questline, which begins atop the northeastern cliffs of Skyrim in Winterhold proper. Though it has a number of potent abilities and specialties in combat, it does not possess the usual characteristics of more traditional weapons in the game.

To get the most out of this weapon, players must be prepared to quickly drain an opponent’s Magicka. Otherwise, they need to be patient while the Staff of Magnus does that job. Once drained of Magicka, the Staff of Magnus will drain the target of health instead. Against traditional enemies, it’s not the greatest, but against Magicka users this thing is devastating.

21 Mehrunes’ Razor

A Dagger With The Ability To Instakill Foes

Most players don’t really use daggers in the game all that much unless they really wanna hammer in their personal brand of role-playing. As a result, Mehrunes’ Razor ends up being ignored because of this fact, which is a shame.

Not only is this weapon a blast to use, but it also has a chance to instantly kill a foe with a hit. This may be a rare occurrence, but it still doesn’t fail to wow the player regardless.

20 Nightingale Blade

Perfect For Unleashing Comboes In The Heat Of Battle

The Nightingale Blade may be dwarfed by other blades when it comes to sheer damage, but don’t let that take away anything from this weapon. After all, its biggest advantage comes from how it absorbs both health and stamina with each hit.

This means that players can wail at enemies and unleash multiple strong attacks without a care in the world since their health and stamina would regenerate anyway. It’s certainly not a sword befitting a thief, since its special effect makes it more suited for full-on battles.

19 Volendrung

A Swift Warhammer Perfect At Lower Levels

Players who manage to get the Volendrung early on will be more than satisfied by the sheer power of this weapon. It’s pretty fast and its power attacks ensure that most enemies won’t be standing up anytime soon after a sundering blow.

While the lack of any upgrade potential does lead to the Volendrung becoming obsolete in the late-game, reaching this point will take many hours. Until then, there’s nothing more satisfying than smashing enemies to bits with this swift weapon.

18 Ebony Blade

A Blade That Heals And Damages At The Same Time

Obtained during the Daedric quest The Whispering Door, the Ebony Blade is a solid weapon after the player has reached level 20. It comes with the following damage base and special effect.

The ability to deal solid damage to an enemy and heal the player by 30 points with each strike is an incredible edge in combat. The reason it isn’t the most powerful weapon is that there are others that outpace it in terms of damage. The Ebony Blade makes endgame battles achievable thanks to the healing, but these fights can take forever to complete.

17 Dragonbane

Perfect To Tackle Dragons

The Dragonbane katana is obtained during the Alduin’s Wall quest. It’s the perfect weapon for the Dragonborn as it gives special benefits against dragons and decent base damage. When fighting Dragons, one could argue that this is the most powerful weapon in Skyrim.

For facing anything else, it is one of the better weapons, but certainly not the best out there. Still, it’s highly advised that players looking to beat Dragons as a warrior or complete the main quest should wield this blade.

16 Windshear

Interrupt Enemies Constantly With Successive Strikes

Players can acquire the Windshear scimitar during the Dark Brotherhood quest Hail Sithis. It comes with some clever perks that make it a fun and effective weapon to wield.

That brief paralysis translates to an enemy being incapacitated for several seconds, as they fall down and then get back up. The stagger with every attack is also brutal, as fast players can effectively stunlock all but the heartiest of foes. It’ll just take a while to whittle down their health if using the Windshear on its own.

15 Wuuthrad

A Great Weapon To Fight Elves With

During a player’s adventures in Skyrim, they’re bound to encounter several elves throughout the land. Suffice it to say, any edge they can have against these powerful foes would be welcome.

This can be attained with the Wuuthrad, which hits for extra damage against Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, and Falmer. This makes the axe a must-have during a battle against any elf simply for the humiliation it can cause with each hit.

14 The Rueful Axe

Deplete Health And Stamina At The Same Time

Stamina management is a major part of Skyrim, with both enemies and players being limited by how much stamina they can use in any given situation. So, it’s only a given that any weapon that debilitates stamina as well can be quite powerful indeed.

This is exactly the case with the Rueful Axe, which hits like a truck while also doing 20 points of stamina damage. Any regular enemy will be struggling to block and launch power attacks if they’re constantly being hit by this axe.

13 Mace Of Molag Bal

Take Out Health, Stamina, And Magicka In One Go

Molag Bal is one of the most legendary Daedric gods in The Elder Scrolls. Getting to use any weapon belonging to him is bound to be a treat, and the Mace of Molag Bal certainly doesn’t disappoint in this regard.

It takes out an enemy’s health, stamina, and magicka in one shot, which makes it pretty effective as is. On top of that, it also traps an enemy in a soul gem if they’re disposed of within three seconds!

12 Chillrend

A Powerful Sword That Chills Enemies To Their Bones

Players can get their hands on Chillrend by prying it from the cold dead grasp of Mercer Frey, the former Thieves’ Guild leader. It has decent DPS potential and a very strong effect enchanted upon it. The DPS achieved with the base damage and the Frost make this weapon worth considering on its own.

But the paralyze for two seconds makes this a very capable weapon in the right hands. Under the right circumstances, the enemy will be helpless as the player attacks. This is a great weapon for beginners that carries long into the latter parts of the game unless the opponent can resist Frost damage.

11 Bloodskal Blade

A Unique Weapon That Launches Beams With A Strong Attack

Stats-wise, the two-handed Bloodskal Blade is the same as a glass greatsword, giving it a base damage of 21 and a weight of 16. While not exactly impressive on its own, what really makes this weapon shine is its special ability.

With this weapon, the player can cast a wave of either vertical or horizontal energy that deals 30 damage. This wave can reach up to 15 feet, hit multiple enemies, and even go through walls. It’s great for surprising foes or softening up a group of enemies before wading into a melee battle.

10 Dawnbreaker

Fiery Sword That Causes An Explosion When He Attacks The Undead

This Daedric weapon is a quest reward for serving the Daedric Prince Meridia. This weapon does a basic 12 points of damage, but it deals 10 points of burn damage which makes it a decent weapon against any foe. Given the Daedric Prince’s hatred of the undead, this weapon is especially effective against such foes.

Upon killing a shambling corpse, the weapon has a chance to trigger a fiery explosion that will either turn or utterly eliminate any nearby undead. It’s very helpful for dealing with necromancers, vampires, or any undead in general. Just don’t be a creature of the night when wielding this in battle — the Prince will not be mocked, and the explosion will harm the player too.

9 Blade Of Woe

A Swift Dagger That Absorbs Health

The Blade of Woe is a small dagger wielded by the traitorous leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Astrid. Players can obtain it after learning of the attack on the guild and performing a Black Sacrament on Astrid as her dying wish.

This weapon is ideal for an assassin, as it deals a base damage of 12 and has the ability to absorb 10 points of health with each strike. Players are strongly advised to have a high Destruction skill and use Sneak to get the full effect of the blade.

8 Harkon’s Sword

A Sword That Debilitates Enemies On All Fronts

Wielded by the legendary vampire Lord Harkon, this blade does a paltry 8 points of base damage but possesses a number of vampiric abilities that make it worthy of a lord of the undead. The one-handed sword has the ability to absorb 15 points of health, magicka, and stamina with each strike.

This stunning ability does have the downside of being greedy on charges, so the player will need a lot of filled soul gems. It also only works for a vampire, but given how powerful this sword is, becoming a member of the undead is absolutely worth it.

7 Drainblood Battleaxe

A Powerful Weapon That Heals Players With Each Hit

A unique weapon wielded by the spectral form of a Draugr the Drainblood Battleaxe is one of four ghost weapons that’s very powerful for anyone skilled in axe fighting. The stats are great with a base damage of 21 and a weight of a shockingly low five pounds.

This two-handed battleaxe also absorbs 15 points of health with each hit. What’s even better is that, unlike Harkon’s Sword, this ability doesn’t require a charge, meaning the player can use it an infinite number of times and never need a soul gem. Players won’t find a better axe in the game.

6 Bloodscythe & Soulrender

Weakens The Enemy With Each Hit

This pair of scimitars was wielded by Haknir Death-Brand, the pirate king. Both blades deal a base damage of 13 but shine when they are wielded together while wearing Deathbrand armor. Bloodscythe will absorb 15 points of health with a chance to lower the enemy’s armor, and Soulrender will absorb 15 points of Magicka with a chance to lower magical defenses.

If the blades are wielded by a player wearing Deathbrand armor, they’ll both receive a 40% boost to damage and a boost to the player’s armor rating. This combination of gear makes the player a force to be reckoned with.

5 Zephyr

A Swift Bow That Is Very Satisfying To Use

Zephyr is a dwarven bow that belonged to an unfortunate adventurer killed in an earthquake. The bow deals a base damage of 12, which is admittedly low compared to other weapons, but its special ability more than makes up for it.

This bow can fire arrows 30% faster than a standard bow. With this fire rate increase, it becomes the highest DPS bow in the game as the player can pump arrow after arrow into the enemy. The reason it doesn’t rank higher is that the player will burn through arrows, and its low damage output per attack makes it a weak bow for sneaky archers who will want to do a lot of damage in the first hit.

4 Dwarven Black Bow Of Fate

A Powerful Bow With The Added Bonus Of Replenishing The Player

The Dragonborn can obtain this powerful bow after solving the puzzle inside the Dwemer ruin of Kagrumez. It has a base damage of 13 similar to an Elven Bow, but its special ability is really what makes it worthwhile.

With each strike, it has a 50% of triggering the absorption of health, magicka, and/or stamina. While it’s not a guaranteed absorption like with Harkon’s Sword, it’s almost double the points, and players will be fighting from a distance rather than taking damage in melee so they’ll hardly notice the tradeoff.

3 Nightingale Bow

Adds Ice Damage To Arrows

This bow is wielded by Karliah a member of the Nightingales, who gives it to the player during a Thieves Guild quest. This leveled bow is great for lower-level players. It’ll rise in power as they level up, before capping with a base damage of 19 once the player is level 45.

Its special effect also improves, and at level 45 it gives the player the ability to freeze targets for 30 points and shock them for 15. With decent base damage and the elemental boost added on, players can deal a whopping 64 points of base damage, assuming there are no resistances.