It’s no secret that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has left its mark on the gaming world. It’s been ten years since its initial release and fans still can’t get enough. Now, it’s expanded thanks to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, which also includes items available in the Creation Club. It’s added new quests, alchemy items, weapons and armor sets, and some unique pieces.
There are some unique weapons that players should keep their eyes out for. Not only do they look nice, but some of them have some pretty cool enchantments on them. Some of them might even look familiar to fans who’ve played previous games and know the lore behind them.
Update on February 18, 2022 by Sarah Prado: The Skyrim Anniversary Edition has added plenty of new weapons for players to look for. Some of them have enchantments that make them unique and would be great additions to have in a weapons collection. Not only do they look different from most weapons previously found in Skyrim, but they are also pretty strong. Players can have a lot of fun using them for either roleplaying, normal gameplay, and they can be helpful for Survival Mode. They’re worth doing the quests to get them and upgrading to max power. If players pick up the quests to get these weapons, it’s worth the hassle and time to get them.
13 Stendarr’s Hammer
This hammer might give some players mixed feelings because of its two enchantments. It has the Smite Damage enchantment which will damage the target for 22 points of health. The downside of using this hammer is that it drains 20 points of stamina from the player per hit. This can be countered by enchantments like the Fortify Stamina Regeneration or players can use potions that increase it.
It’s a very powerful weapon to have, but it’s very heavy to pick up, being at 100 pounds. If players don’t mind the weight and the stamina drain, they could potentially own a pretty powerful two-handed weapon near the beginning of the game.
12 Bow Of Shadows
A bow that will be very useful for players wanting to go for an assassin and sniper build. This weapon allows players to draw the bow quickly and it casts Invisibility on them for 30 seconds. The Invisibility effect ends when players put the bow away or fire an arrow. This is handy because it gives people a little time to get in position.
Once an arrow is fired, they can quickly put the bow away then draw it again to get the Invisibility effect. It’ll cost nothing so this bow is great for anyone wanting to make a stealthy getaway.
11 Staff Of Sheogorath
Named after the Mad God himself. The Staff of Sheogorath first appeared in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in the Shivering Isles DLC. This staff will Stagger Push enemies it’s used on. If it fails to do that, then the staff will Paralyze the target instead. It’s a very handy staff if players are going for a mage build and would like to have a weapon with them.
This staff will help players cast their spells without having to worry about enemies interrupting them for a few seconds. The more powerful the spell, the longer it takes to cast them. This staff will make casting Master-level Destruction spells a lot easier.
10 Trueflame & Hopesfire
Two swords that work better together. Fans of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind will recognize these two swords.
- Trueflame burns any enemy it hits for 30 points for one second
- Hopesfire does 30 points of shock damage along with half as much Magicka damage.
On their own, they’re pretty good swords and do great damage. A little bonus that makes Trueflame extra sweet: it doesn’t have a usage cost so it’ll never have to be charged.
If Dragonborns are looking for great swords to dual-wield, these two are worth picking up. Not only are they great in battle, but they are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and would look great hanging up on weapon plaques.
9 Cleaver Of St. Felms
A one-handed war axe, this cleaver could be useful for players if they’re building a spellblade-type of character. This axe has a fire enchantment that will do 30 points of fire damage; furthermore, if the target is on fire, they will take extra damage. It’s other enchantment is that it will absorb 25 points of Magicka from the target for one second.
If players are wanting to do a spellblade build, this axe could be a great weapon to have since it’ll give Magicka back to the player and allow them to cast more spells.
8 Sunder
A rather unique weapon, Sunder gets bonuses if it is used while the players wear the Wraithguard gauntlets. On its own, Sunder will do five points of fire, ice, and shock damage along with 15 points of damage to stamina and magicka. This makes it sound like a great weapon, but it gets even better when players are wearing Wraithguard.
If players are wearing it, damage from one-handed weapons is increased by 15% and stamina regeneration is increased by 50%. A good weapon to pair with these two would be the unique dagger Keening. The Wraithguard gauntlets will increase health and stamina by 20 and magicka by 50 if Keening is equipped.
7 Staff Of Hasedoki
A pretty powerful staff that comes with three enchantments. If the hit enemy dies within 60 seconds, their soul will fill a soul gem. The Staff of Hasedoki also has a very powerful knockback enchantment that’s very similar to the Unrelenting Force shout. To make this staff even better, it also has a ward that will protect against spells temporarily.
The Unrelenting Force shout is always satisfying to use against enemies, but trying to use it at full power can be a hassle at times. Using this staff will save some time and allow the player to use other shouts if they wish.
6 Dawnfang and Duskfang
This shapeshifting sword changes depending on whether it’s day or night. During the day, Dawanfang will do fire damage; at night, Duskfang does frost damage. It also has an enchantment that lets players absorb health during the day and magicka at night from anyone struck by it, but only after they’ve killed 12 enemies.
One of the best things about this blade is that players won’t have to worry about using Soul Gems to restore its enchantment. Players should remember that these are not two separate swords that can be dual-wielded.
5 Light of Day
If players are wanting to get into the spirit of being a vampire hunter, this Skyrim Anniversary Edition weapon is a good addition to have in their collection. The Light of Day does Sun Damage to any enemy that is struck by the weapon. If any type of undead enemy is hit, they take triple the damage.
What makes this mace unique is that if the player is a vampire, it will debuff them similar to how they get weak during the day. A special message will even appear if they wield and tell them that their hand is blistering from holding it.
4 Bloodthirst
This sword looks identical to Dawnfang/Duskfang but has a different enchantment. Bloodthirst absorbs health from any enemy hit by it along with increasing the player’s speed by 7%. Enemies hit by this sword will also take additional bleed damage, increasing the power of this weapon. Unlike Dawnfang/Duskfang, the enchantment on this weapon will need to be recharged with a Soul Gem after some use.
If players are wanting a nice pair of swords, Bloodthirst would look aesthetically great with Dawnfang/Duskfang. Their different enchantments would be pair up nicely and keep the player’s resources up.
3 Umbra
This sword might look familiar to fans that played Morrowind and/or Oblivion. The sword Umbra has appeared as a two-handed and one-handed sword in the seires. In Skyrim, it’s a two-handed that has some pretty cool enchantments. If an enemy dies within 20 seconds from getting by Umbra, they will be Soul Trapped and fill up a soul gem. It will absorb 25 points of health and stamina.
The enchantments will come in handy since wielding a two-handed weapon can drain stamina pretty quickly. Plus, blocking with a two-handed weapon doesn’t offer much protection so getting some health back while attacking can help out a lot.
2 Chrysamere
This legendary weapon didn’t appear in vanilla Skyrim, but it’s back now thanks to the Creation Club. Chrysamere has a rather unique enchantment that makes it very different from other weapons. Instead of having offensive enchantments, this sword has defensive enchantments. It grants the player 15% fire resistance, 10% absorb magicka, and fortified combat healing for one point.
Chrysamere also has a higher attack speed so it swings a lot faster than traditional two-handed swords. It has no usage cost so it’ll never need to be recharged, making Chrysamere a must-have sword.
1 Ruin’s Edge
It may look very different and strange, but it’s a must-have for players. This bow will randomly apply an effect on the target that it’s enchanted with. The choices are:
- Demoralize/Fear for 100 points for 20 seconds.
- Drain Magicka for 1000 points for 20 seconds.
- Frenzy for 100 points for 20 seconds.
- Paralyze for 15 seconds or Paralyze for one second.
It’s a gamble since the player will never know which one it’s going to be, but it adds a little excitement because of it.
Considering it’s a weapon that first appeared in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in the Shivering Isles DLC, it’s no wonder this weapon has a random effect. Nothing in Sheogorath’s realm makes sense and the weapons associated with it and him are just as mind-boggling. Ruin’s Edge will definitely make sniping enemies very interesting and keep players on their toes.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.