Weapons Guide & Weapon Types

Weapons Guide & Weapon Types

Mastering the arsenal of Skyrim is crucial for survival and dominance. From swift daggers to devastating warhammers, understanding each weapon type's strengths and weaknesses will dictate your combat effectiveness. This guide breaks down the primary weapon categories, their associated skills, and tips for maximizing their potential in every encounter.

Skyrim offers a diverse array of weaponry, each catering to different playstyles and combat approaches. Choosing the right weapon for the situation, combined with proper skill development, can turn the tide of battle. Whether you prefer the silent kill of a dagger, the balanced approach of a sword, or the brute force of a great axe, understanding these nuances is key to becoming a true Dragonborn.

Weapon Categories

• One-Handed Weapons: This category includes Daggers, Swords, War Axes, and Maces. They are fast, versatile, and allow for the use of a shield or a spell in the off-hand. Daggers excel at sneak attacks, while Maces are effective against armored foes.
• Two-Handed Weapons: This includes Greatswords, Battleaxes, and Warhammers. These weapons deal massive damage and have a longer reach but are slower and leave you vulnerable. Warhammers are particularly effective against heavily armored enemies.
• Bows: Ranged combat is dominated by bows, offering a safe way to engage enemies from a distance. Different arrow types can inflict various status effects, adding a strategic layer to ranged combat.

Key Skills and Perks

Your proficiency with each weapon type is governed by a corresponding skill. Investing perk points into these skills unlocks powerful abilities:

• One-Handed: Perks increase damage, attack speed, and unlock critical hit chances. Key perks include Armored Subtlety (bonus damage with one-handed weapons when dual-wielding), Bladesman (chance for critical hits with swords), and Hack and Slash (bonus damage with axes).
• Two-Handed: Perks enhance damage, stagger chance, and unlock devastating power attacks. Notable perks are Champion's Stance (power attacks cost less stamina), Devastating Blow (standing power attacks do more damage and can decapitate), and Obliterate (sweeping power attacks have a chance to disarm opponents).
• Archery: Perks improve draw speed, zoom, critical hit damage, and unlock special shots like the paralyzing shot. Essential perks include Overdraw (increased bow damage), Eagle Eye (zoom with bows), and Quick Shot (faster draw speed).

Arrow Types and Their Effects

While bows themselves are potent, the true power of archery in Skyrim lies in the variety of arrows available. Each arrow type can drastically alter your combat approach:

• Iron Arrows: The most basic and common arrow type. Deals standard physical damage.
• Steel Arrows: Slightly more damaging than iron arrows.
• Elven Arrows: Deal increased damage compared to steel arrows.
• Dwarven Arrows: Deal significant physical damage and have a chance to cause bleeding damage over time.
• Orcish Arrows: High physical damage, effective against tougher enemies.
• Ebony Arrows: Deal substantial physical damage.
• Daedric Arrows: The most powerful physical damage arrows in the game, often found or crafted late-game.
• Fire Arrows: Deal moderate physical damage and inflict burning damage over time, which can also ignite flammable objects.
• Frost Arrows: Deal moderate physical damage and inflict frost damage, which can slow enemies and drain their stamina.
• Shock Arrows: Deal moderate physical damage and inflict shock damage, which drains magicka.
• Poison Arrows: Deal moderate physical damage and apply a potent poison that deals damage over time and can reduce enemy effectiveness.
• Exploding Arrows: These rare and powerful arrows (often associated with unique quest rewards or specific mods) deal area-of-effect damage, making them excellent for crowd control.

Tips for Effective Weapon Use

• Match Weapon to Enemy:
  • Daggers: Ideal for stealth builds. Use them for sneak attacks to deal massive critical damage. The perk "Assassin's Blade" in the Sneak tree multiplies dagger sneak attack damage by 15x (10x without the perk).
  • Swords: The all-around choice. Good balance of speed and damage, and pairs well with shields for defensive play. The perk "Bladesman" is crucial for sword users.
  • War Axes: Offer a good balance, with power attacks that can cause bleeding.
  • Maces: Excellent against armored opponents due to their ability to bypass some armor. The perk "Bone Breaker" in the One-Handed tree increases mace damage against armor.
  • Greatswords: For those who prefer a balanced approach to two-handed combat, offering decent reach and damage.
  • Battleaxes: Good for raw damage and have a chance to cause bleeding with power attacks.
  • Warhammers: The ultimate anti-armor weapon. Their power attacks are devastating against heavily armored foes. The perk "Skull Crusher" in the Two-Handed tree significantly increases warhammer damage against armor.
  • Bows: Essential for initiating combat from a distance, kiting enemies, and dealing with aerial threats like dragons. Utilize different arrow types to exploit enemy weaknesses (e.g., frost arrows against Nords, fire arrows against frost-based enemies).
• Stamina Management: Power attacks consume stamina. Ensure you have enough stamina to execute these devastating moves, especially with two-handed weapons. Consider enchanting gear with Fortify Stamina or Stamina Regeneration.
• Enchantments: Applying elemental damage (Fire, Frost, Shock) or Soul Trap enchantments can significantly boost your weapon's effectiveness. Soul Trap is invaluable for recharging enchanted weapons and for enchanting new gear.
• Dual-Wielding: For one-handed weapons, dual-wielding offers the highest attack speed and damage output, but leaves you without a shield. Perks like "Dual Flurry" in the One-Handed tree are essential for this playstyle.
• Shields: Essential for defensive playstyles. Shields not only block attacks but can also be used to bash enemies, interrupting their attacks and staggering them. The "Shield Charge" perk allows you to charge with your shield raised, knocking enemies down.

Crafting and Upgrading Weapons

The Smithing skill is paramount for creating and improving your weapons to their maximum potential. This process allows you to craft weapons from raw materials and enhance their base damage, armor penetration, and value at a blacksmith's forge.

Steps to Craft and Upgrade Weapons:

1. Acquire the Smithing Skill: You start with a base level of Smithing. To progress, you must mine ore, craft items, and upgrade weapons and armor at a forge.
2. Find a Forge: Blacksmithing forges are found in most major cities (e.g., Whiterun, Solitude, Markarth) and in some player homes.
3. Gather Materials:
   • Ores: Iron Ore, Silver Ore, Corundum Ore, Malachite, Ebony Ore, Quicksilver Ore, Moonstone Ore, Orichalcum Ore, Dwarven Metal Ingots, Steel Ingots, etc. These are mined from ore veins found throughout Skyrim or purchased from blacksmiths.
   • Leather Strips: Crafted from Leather at a Tanning Rack. Essential for most weapon and armor crafting.
   • Ingots: Smelted from ores at a smelter (e.g., Iron Ore smelts into Iron Ingots).
4. Visit a Tanning Rack: Use Leather to craft Leather Strips.
5. Visit a Smelter: Smelt ores into ingots. For example, 2 Iron Ore yields 1 Iron Ingot.
6. Use the Forge:
   • Crafting: Select the "Smithing" option at the forge. Weapons will appear in categories based on your Smithing perk progression (e.g., Iron, Steel, Dwarven, Elven, Orcish, Ebony, Daedric, Dragon). You need the appropriate perk and materials to craft a specific weapon. For example, to craft an Iron Dagger, you need 1 Iron Ingot and 1 Leather Strip.
   • Upgrading: Select the "Improve" option at the forge. Bring your weapon and the necessary materials (usually the same type of ingot the weapon is made from). The higher your Smithing skill and the better the materials, the more significant the improvement. The "Advanced Armors" and "Glass Smithing" perks (for heavy and light armor respectively) also affect weapon improvement.
7. Smithing Perks: Invest perk points in the Smithing tree to unlock the ability to craft and improve higher-tier weapons. The tree progresses from Iron and Steel to Dwarven, Elven, Orcish, Ebony, Daedric, and finally Dragonbone. Each tier requires a certain Smithing skill level and a perk point investment.

Example: Crafting and Upgrading a Steel Sword

1. Crafting:
   • Requires: 1 Steel Ingot, 1 Leather Strip.
   • Perk: Steel Smithing (requires Smithing level 30).
   • Go to a forge, select "Smithing," and choose "Steel Sword."
2. Upgrading:
   • Requires: Steel Ingots.
   • Go to a forge, select "Improve," and choose your Steel Sword. Use Steel Ingots to increase its damage. The amount of damage increase depends on your Smithing skill and any relevant perks.

Notable Weapons