There are a lot of things that Skyrim is well known for – game-breaking glitches and exploits are nothing new to the Elder Scrolls series, and Skyrim is home to a lot of the most famous ones. The Dawnbreaker duplication glitch is one that most players accidentally discover.
During the quest "The Break Of Dawn", the Daedric questline for Meridia, players eventually come to a pedestal holding the legendary blade Dawnbreaker. By using a certain exploit, players can reliably cause two of these to spawn, making for one of the most devastating dual-wield loadouts in Skyrim.
Step One: Acquire The Unrelenting Force Shout
The first thing players must do to replicate this glitch is unlock the Unrelenting Force shout. Any level will do, so just make it to the part of the main questline where the Jarl of Whiterun sends you out to investigate a dragon sighting at the nearby watchtower. During "Dragon Rising" players gain their first Dragon Soul and are able to unlock their first shout.
The first word to Unrelenting Force is found in Bleak Falls Barrow, one of the first major dungeons that most players explore. Bleak Falls Barrow itself is found high above Riverwood, and players are directed there either by Lucan Valerius at the Riverwood Trader or by Farengar to find the Dragonstone.
Step Two: Find Meridia's Beacon and get to the end of "The Break Of Dawn"
Meridia's Beacon is an item that can be found in just about any chest in any dungeon in Skyrim. It randomly spawns, though most players are able to find it pretty quickly. If you're having trouble, keep doing major quests that take you to large-scale dungeons, like "The Horn Of Jurgen Windcaller".
The beacon is a geometric sphere-like object that, once picked up, causes Meridia's voice to ring out and invite the player to her temple, near Solitude. The questline is one of Skyrim's most iconic, and the dungeon isn't that hard to get through. Once at the end, players defeat a boss and find Dawnbreaker on a pedestal.
Step Three: Use Unrelenting Force On The Pedestal Holding Dawnbreaker
During the boss fight at the end of Meridia's temple, try to use the Unrelenting Force shout as many times as you can near the pedestal holding Dawnbreaker. The lowest level of the shout is best as it recharges the fastest.
Eventually, you should knock Dawnbreaker onto the floor. The boss doesn't have to be defeated to be able to pick up this copy of Dawnbreaker.
Step Four: Pick Up Dawnbreaker From The Ground, Then Again From The Pedestal
It's important to do this in the correct order, as some players have tried to replicate this exploit to no avail as they didn't pick up the right Dawnbreaker. After defeating the boss and all enemies in the area, Meridia bequeaths Dawnbreaker to the player.
Pick up the copy on the floor first, and then pick up the one from the pedestal. This exploit works because Unrelenting Force forces a copy of Dawnbreaker to appear once struck with the shout, but finishing the quest forces a copy to spawn on the pedestal if there isn't one there. As long as the copy on the floor is picked up first, this firey dual-wield loadout is yours to enjoy!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S