There are plenty of different weapon types in Skyrim, ranging from different schools of magic all the way to archery. However, one-handed weapons are one of the most versatile combat types since there are so many different variations of one-handed weapons that fall into the category.
Some players prefer to only use a single powerful weapon, while other builds utilize the dual-wielding feature for double the melee damage. Regardless of what type of one-handed build you have created, learning about the different perks in this skill tree is essential for inflicting damage onto enemies with one-handed weapons.
10 Fighting Stance
A lot of players choose to use power attacks because they deal extra damage to an enemy. However, you also have to use a lot of stamina to perform power attacks, which can become a problem in combat if you either don’t have a lot of stamina or are also using it to sprint.
Luckily, the Fighting Stance perk exists for one-handed builds, reducing the stamina cost for power attacks by 25%.
9 Critical Charge
The Critical Charge perk grants you a new ability: a sprinting strike with a one-handed weapon. It deals double the critical damage, which is quite a large boost to an already powerful critical hit.
Although the Critical Charge perk is quite useful for most one-handed builds, there are other perks in the skill tree that are more worthwhile if you are trying to decide between unlocking this ability or a different perk. The Critical Charge perk is mostly useful for players that have an extra perk point lying around, since it won’t change how you play the game too much.
8 Bladesman
The Bladesman perk is perfect for a build that utilizes swords as the main weapon type. Swords are a powerful type of weapon — and, notably, there are many different unique swords to find in Skyrim. This is a big reason why it is one of the most popular types of one-handed character build.
Although the Bladesman perk only affects swords, it’s still useful. It grants a bonus to your critical hit chance, up to 20% at the final tier of this perk.
7 Bone Breaker
Players that hate fighting enemies with a lot of powerful armor will love the Bone Breaker perk, because it grants you a damage bonus against enemies that are wearing armor; it ignores 75% of armor once the final tier is unlocked. However, this perk only applies to maces, which means that it isn’t useful for players who utilize other one-handed weapons.
Unfortunately, maces aren’t a common weapon type in Skyrim, so there aren’t a ton of unique ones. Even so, the maces that are in the game are quite powerful and deal a lot of damage, compared to other weapon types.
6 Savage Strike
Savage Strike is a perk that is useful for one-handed builds regardless of which weapon type you are using, since it doesn’t specifically affect any of them. With this perk, you deal 25% extra damage while completing a standing power attack, and it also gives you a chance to decapitate the enemy that you’re attacking.
There’s only one tier of the Savage Strike perk, which is a good thing because it means this perk is powerful right away and doesn’t need to be leveled up further.
5 Hack And Slash
Hack And Slash is the unique perk for war axes, and it adds a large amount of extra bleed damage to every attack that you initiate with them. Bleeding deals damage over time, and it’s especially useful for players that dole out many hits rather than one single strong one.
War axes are one of the best weapon types in Skyrim, and they are also one of the best-looking weapon types. If you want to create a build themed around one-handed axes, then the Hack And Slash perk is essential.
4 Paralyzing Strike
The backward power attack is one of the strongest special combat moves in Skyrim. The Paralyzing Strike perk makes this combat stance even more powerful, because it gives you a 25% chance to paralyze enemies when a backward power attack hits them.
Paralyzing an enemy makes them fall to the ground. It will take them a few seconds to get up, giving you time to swiftly land multiple attacks and defeat them. Since the paralysis effect is so powerful in Skyrim, Paralyzing Strike is one of the best one-handed perks that you can unlock.
3 Armsman
Armsman is a boring perk as it doesn’t add any new abilities or a specific effect. However, this it’s one of the most important that you can unlock for a one-handed build because it is the perk that grants you extra damage while using one-handed weapons.
There are five tiers of the Armsman perk, and at the final level, you will deal twice as much damage with one-handed weapons of all types. Creating a one-handed build is fun, but you won’t reach your full potential as a one-handed user without the Armsman perk.
2 Dual Flurry
There are many different ways to create a one-handed build, and dual-wielding is one of the best ways to create a melee character. The Dual Flurry perk is helpful for dual-wielding builds because it grants you 20 to 35% extra swing speed while dual-wielding one-handed weapons. The damage bonus depends on how many tiers of this perk you have unlocked.
How fast your weapon swings is one of the most important traits in Skyrim. If it’s slow, then it won’t initiate many attacks in a period of time. If you want to create a dual-wielding build with any one-handed weapon type, then the Dual Flurry perk is a must-unlock.
1 Dual Savagery
Dual Savagery is another perk that is themed around dual-wielding one-handed weapons. However, this perk is even more powerful than the Dual Flurry perk because it grants you a 50% damage bonus to your dual-wielding power attacks.
Dual-wielding power attacks are one of the strongest types of attacks in Skyrim. While dual-wielding weapons already deals a lot, a power attack with two separate weapons combined inflicts massive damage.
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