With weapons like the trusty Daedric Sword, Dwarven Black Bow of Fate, and the dozen or so Daedric Artifacts, there is a good weapon out there for just about any build you can think of in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While most players will agree that the best weapons out there are the ones you make yourself, there are still a handful of good unique weapons that don’t require any crafting skills to obtain.
Then there are others which seem to fall by the wayside in terms of usage, either because players don’t think they are worth the time to obtain or their effects don’t seem particularly useful. Some of these forgotten weapons are actually quite powerful in the right hands and are well worth investigating no matter what playstyle you are going for.
10 Valdr’s Lucky Dagger
This Steel Dagger with a very unique enchantment can be found very early on in the game during the quest Hunter and Hunter. After clearing Moss Mother Cavern of the Spriggan infestation, you will receive this seemingly innocuous dagger from Valdr himself as thanks for avenging his dead friends. An extra chance for critical damage doesn’t seem like much, especially considering the low base damage of Steel weapons, but when used as an off-hand weapon in dual-wielding builds, Valdr’s Lucky Dagger can actually rack up some serious damage, as well as adding slightly more, though somewhat negligible, damage in backstab attacks.
9 Lunar Steel Weapons
Found in Silent Moons Camp, just out from Whiterun, these weapons pack a surprising punch when used at night and can help the Last Dragonborn deal decent damage while at lower levels, particularly against roaming vampires. The effect to burn affected targets also works in conjunction with the Intense Flames perk in the Destruction skill tree as well as the Fear spell enhancements in the Illusion skill tree, making it a decent option for fire-based mages as well as warriors. While the weapons themselves are outclassed in terms of damage by just about everything else in the game, the enchantment itself is fairly decent and can be stacked with other fire damage enchantments for even more fire damage.
8 Ghostblade
The second-lightest weapon in the game after the knife and fork, the Ghostblade is a great weapon for characters who like to swing their swords more frequently. It also has a unique secondary effect of dealing 3 damage on top of its base damage, ignoring armor.
While the extra damage effect is fairly weak compared to most other enchantments, it does have its use and the fast swing speed of the Ghostblade makes it a decent off-hand option for dual-wielding builds.
7 Bow Of The Hunt
There are several great unique bows in Skyrim, such as the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate, Zephyr, and Auriel’s Bow. One that is never spoken of in the same light as these is the Bow of the Hunt, a unique Hunting Bow that deals 20 extra points of damage to animals. While not the best bow in terms of base damage, its effect is broad enough to make the bow somewhat useful in the wilds of Skyrim, as its effect works on the likes of trolls, mammoths, death hounds, and werewolves. While the Glass Bow of the Stag Prince is a better option for a similar style of weapon, it is much harder to obtain without a high-level Pickpocket skill.
6 Aetherial Staff
Along with the main story that came with the Dawnguard DLC, there were also several other side-quests added to the game, with one of them being the Lost to the Ages quest. After discovering the Aetherium Forge and defeating the Forgemaster, you gain the ability to create one of three ancient Dwemer artifacts: The Aetherial Staff, Crown, or Shield. Most veteran Skyrim players will take the Crown, as having additional Standing Stone powers is one of the best effects you can have, but the Staff is also a decent option for adding more firepower to your character. The ability to summon either a Dwarven Spider or Sphere for 60 seconds isn’t terrible, as they are both fairly resistant to physical damage, though it is somewhat let down by the fact that the Sanguine Rose exists and summons better companions.
5 Dawnguard Rune Hammer
For the most part, Warhammers aren’t the go-to weapon of choice when players create a two-handed warrior build, as their low swing speed can hinder both defense and offense options. The Dawnguard Rune Hammer, while suffering from the same drawbacks as other Warhammers, has the added bonus of being able to summon Fire Runes whenever a bash attack is used. Aside from the ability to cast magic without using Magicka being a pretty decent enchantment, the fact that it is on a melee weapon makes the runes better than if they were cast by a mage, as they are generally better when used in close-quarters combat.
4 Targe Of The Bloodied
While technically a shield, this unique and dangerous-looking weapon has the unique ability to give enemies the Bleed effect when hit with a bash attack, potentially increasing the amount of damage done while on the defensive. Although the Bleed effect doesn’t work on Draugr or mechanical enemies, it does work on just about everything else in the game, including dragons.
The Bleed effect itself isn’t particularly strong, but it does have the ability to stack with subsequent blows, meaning those 3 points of damage quickly increase into high double digits while doing nothing but defending from attacks.
3 Wuuthrad
As the Battleaxe that Ysgramor somehow wielded with just one hand, this unique weapon has a lot going for it despite its somewhat mediocre enchantment. Having the same base damage as a Daedric Battleaxe is also a point in its favor since it can be obtained very early in the game without much trouble. While its effect to deal extra damage against elves is somewhat limited, it is very effective on the numerous Thalmor agents that roam Skyrim as well as the Falmer, which are normally hard to take down at early levels. Wuuthrad is also one of the few weapons in the game with an enchantment that is still affected by the Elemental Fury Shout, which increases its damage output even further.
2 Headsman’s Axe
The Headsman’s Axe, while somewhat hard to get without Pickpocket skills and not having the highest damage for a two-handed weapon, is still useful due to its size compared to other two-handed weapons in the game. As the longest weapon in the game, it is able to deal damage to most enemies long before they can get into their own melee range and can be combined with any number of weapon enchantments or Elemental Fury to further increase its damage output. It is let down a little by its low base damage, but with the right combination of enchantments or Shouts, it can be just as effective as any other high-level weapon.
1 The Pale Blade
This Ancient Nordic Sword is found on the Pale Lady in Frostmire Crypt and, at first glance, just seems like every other unique Nordic weapon in the game. What makes The Pale Blade stand out, however, is the fact that it’s the only unique weapon in Skyrim to combine both Frost damage and Fear, as Fear is normally paired with Fire damage. This means it is not only useful for keeping enemies from reaching you, but the Frost damage means they will have a reduced running speed when fleeing, meaning they will be much easier to catch once they do flee.
