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Unique Weapons in Skyrim often prove to be much more effective and much more interesting than their unenchanted, unnamed counterparts. Weapon enchantments can vary widely, from the totally random Wabbajack to the straightforward fire-damage-dealing Dawnbreaker.
Skyrim Anniversary Edition adds dozens and dozens of unique weapons to the game, each more interesting than the last. Several of these weapons have been long-awaited by fans, such as the legendary Sunder or Mannimarco's own Staff, while others are completely original Creations that Skyrim players can experience with Anniversary Edition.
Updated February 25, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Some Skyrim Anniversary Edition weapons are powerful relics that call back to previous games and offer similar (or equally powerful) benefits as their previous iterations. Others, like Cyrus' Saber or the Spear of Bitter Mercy, are completely unique to the Creation Club, though they don't come with any particularly notable enchantments. The Spear of Bitter Mercy can't even be acquired by players, though with all things in Skyrim hacks and the console can save the day. Not all unique new weapons in Skyrim Anniversary Edition are made the same, but hunting down all of them does mean going back for these lackluster, out-of-the-way pieces of equipment at some point.
Individual Unique Weapons
Anniversary Edition adds a huge number of unique weapons only acquirable through multi-part questlines or major addon packs like The Cause or Ghosts of the Tribunal. Many more unique weapons are part of their own simpler Creations, or aren't featured alongside other unique weapons in a large pack.
These weapons typically are hidden behind a simple one-part quest, like is the case with the Bow of Shadows, while others can be found out in the world at specific locations, like Stendarr's Hammer. As such, these individual weapons tend to be easier to acquire than others, though there are some exceptions.
Spear of Bitter Mercy
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 15
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: ???
The Spear of Bitter Mercy is a unique weapon in Skyrim due to the fact that it's a polearm. There really aren't any other polearms in the game, and unfortunately this one is actually unobtainable. It's the weapon of choice for Gogh, a Goblin who can become the player's follower as part of an Anniversary Edition questline in the southern portion of The Rift.
Cyrus' Saber
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 20
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: N/A
Cyrus' Saber is a direct callback to Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, in which the player took control of a named character, Cyrus, instead of a user-generated one. The Creation Club element Dead Man's Dread depicts what happened to this legendary adventurer after he sailed north to the Sea of Ghosts. His ship (and the creation's questline) can be started by reading a book in the Winking Skeever in Solitude.
Blackwater Blade
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 12
- Improved With: Steel Ingot and Steel Smithing perk
- Enchantment: Absorbs 30 Stamina from targets on hit
The Blackwater Blade is another unique weapon contained in the Dead Man's Dread creation. This one, though, belonged not to Cyrus but to the brigands who reside in his near-ruined ship. It has a pretty powerful enchantment made more useful against melee opponents than ranged ones, though its damage output leaves something to be desired. Look for this blade on board the pirate ship itself towards the end of the area.
Fists of Randagulf
- Weapon Type: Heavy Gauntlets
- Armor Rating: 15
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Boosts Block, Two-Handed by 20 points and increases Unarmed Damage by 20 points too.
The Fists of Randagulf are not technically a weapon, but their enchantment makes them one of the few viable options for players who would prefer to go weaponless anyway. The Fists of Randagulf boost their wearer's Block and Two-Handed skills by 20 points, but they also increase Unarmed Damage by 20 points. This makes your punches hit much, much harder, though some other craftable gauntlets do outrank it, especially when Enchantments come into play. Look for this weaponized piece of armor during the Caught in a Web quest, which begins in Windhelm.
Chrysamere
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 25
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot and Ruby
- Enchantment: Absorbs 10% of incoming Magic, increases Fire Restistance by 15%, and grants 1 Health per second during combat.
Chrysamere is a legendary Two-Handed sword that appeared in the first three Elder Scrolls titles, brought to Skyrim in its eponymous Creation. It is unique for granting a buff to health recovery during combat. Chrysamere is found during the Lost Paladin quest which starts in Forelhost, a Nordic barrow south of Riften.
Ruin's Edge
- Weapon Type: Bow
- Raw Damage: 12
- Improved With: Daedra Hearts
- Enchantment: Randomly applies one of six possible effects to enemies, including Demoralize, Drain Magicka, Frenzy, Frost, or either short-term or long-term Paralysis
Ruin's Edge is a bow wielded by Dark Seducers, a type of Daedra that resides in the Shivering Isles. Just like the Prince of Madness' Daedric well-known artifact Wabbajack it applies a random effect to enemies hit with its arrows, thought the list of possible effects is much shorter. This is found in Stony Creek Cave, located in the southeast of Eastmarch.
Staff of Sheogorath
- Weapon Type: Staff
- Raw Damage: N/A
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Staggers and paralyzes all enemies within 75 feet for 10 seconds
The Staff of Sheogorath is the symbol of the Daedric Prince of Madness' office, and is wielded by Sheogorath in Oblivion. If players attack the Daedric Prince in the Shivering Isles DLC he paralyzes them instantly and teleports them high into the sky – in Skyrim, though, it won't teleport foes. This unique staff this is found during the Put A Fork In It quest which begins in Raven Rock.
Staff of Hasedoki
- Weapon Type: Staff
- Raw Damage: N/A
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Fills a Soul Gem if an enemy dies within one minute, Knockback effect, and maintains a constant Spell Ward for 40 points when not attacking
The Staff of Hasedoki is an artifact that first appeared in Morrowind, and is arguably one of the best staffs for Mage-archetype characters. This is thanks to its useful Soul Trap and Knockback effects on enemies as well as its Ward effect when not attacking. This Staff is found in the eponymous Staff of Hasedoki quest that begins at the Bandit Camp west of Whiterun.
Stendarr's Hammer
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Hammer
- Raw Damage: 28
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot and Flawless Sapphire
- Enchantment: Smites enemies for 22 points of damage, but drains 20 points of Stamina from its wielder on hit
Stendarr's Hammer is a hammer of holy righteousness, a symbolic weapon of the God of Mercy. It is one of the heaviest items in Skyrim clocking in at an impressive 100 Weight, making it suitable only for characters with such high Stamina that these drawbacks don't matter. It's found through the If I Had A Hammer quest, but it can also be stolen from the Dwemer Museum in Markarth without the quest.
Shadowrend
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword OR Two-Handed Axe
- Raw Damage: Sword form deals 26, Axe form deals 28
- Improved With: Ebony Ingots
- Enchantment: Targets are 15% weaker to Magic for 30 seconds
Shadowrend is a Battlemage's dream weapon thanks to its 15% Weakness to Magic effect, making it a perfect opener in a fight or a great back-up when out of Magicka. It is unique in that it has two forms, which share the same enchantment but have different weights and Raw Damage numbers. It is found in a black pool north of The Atronach Stone, but players must defeat their own Shadow to access it. Its form can be changed at this pool afterwards at any time.
Sunder
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Mace
- Raw Damage: 15
- Improved With: Dwarven Metal Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 5 points of Frost, Fire, and Shock damage in addition to 15 Stamina and Magicka damage.
Sunder is one of the three Tools of Kagrenac, legendary artifacts that were used to access the Heart of Lorkhan underneath Red Mountain. Sunder is one of the two weapons in the set, and offering resource damage as well as elemental damage. When wielded with Wraithguard, it increases Stamina regeneration and One-Handed damage significantly. This is found alongside Wraithguard in the quest Legends Lost, which starts in Windhelm's New Gnisis Cornerclub.
Arm of the Sun and Arm of the Moon
- Weapon Type: Staves
- Raw Damage: N/A
- Improved With: N/A
- Arm of the Sun Enchantment: 20 points of Fire damage, with a chance to also deal 20 points of Frost and Shock damage each
- Arm of the Moon Enchantment: 50/50 chance to Rout or Frenzy a target for one minute, forcing enemies to flee or turn against their allies
The Arms of Chaos are two powerful staves included in the eponymous Arms of Chaos creation, both of which are tied to the Staff of Chaos that was central to the plot of Elder Scrolls: Arena. The Arm of the Sun deals elemental damage, with a chance to deal other types of damage, while the Arm of the Moon has equal chance to either Rout or Frenzy a target for an entire minute. The Arms of Chaos quest begins at Skytemple Ruins north of the College of Winterhold.
Umbra
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 24
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantment: Soul Traps enemies who die within 20 seconds, Absorb 25 points of Stamina and Magicka on hit
Umbra is a powerful Two-Handed greatsword that was featured in the Elder Scrolls novels, and was canonically destroyed during the events of Lord of Souls. Nevertheless, this powerful sword Soul Traps enemies and Absorbs a significant amount of their Stamina and Magicka. Umbra is found by completing the Vile Whispers quest, which begins in Champion's Rest northeast of Riften.
Dawnfang and Duskfang
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 14
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantment: During the Day it deals 7 Fire Damage, while at Night it deals 7 Frost Damage. After killing 12 enemies it begins to absorb 5 Health on hit.
Dawnfang and Duskfang sounds like two weapons, and in a way it is. Dawnfang and Duskfang, like Shadowrend, has two forms. During the daytime it deals Fire damage while at night it deals Frost damage. It also gains the Absorb Health enchantment after killing 12 enemies, in both forms. It's found in the Ratways of Riften after talking to a Ghost.
Bow of Shadows
- Weapon Type: Bow
- Raw Damage: 19
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantment: Casts Invisibility on the wielder on being equipped and drawn, which benefits from its faster Weapon Draw speed
The Bow of Shadows is a Daedric artifact of Nocturnal, the Daedric Prince of Night and Darkness. As such, this Bow turns its user invisible immediately upon being drawn, giving a new meaning to "Shadow Hide You". This Bow is found in the In The Shadows quest that begins when the player talks to Proventus Avenicci after completing Jarl Balgruff's quests.
Goldbrand
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 15
- Improved With: Gold Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Fire Damage to enemies, increased for Burning foes
Goldbrand is a Katana introduced with Skyrim Anniversary Edition, and is basically an upgraded version of Meridia's Dawnbreaker. It deals 30 Fire Damage on hit and has a higher Raw Damage, too, although it takes a bit more to charge. It's found in the A Matter Of Pride quest, which begins by heading to the Sancellum of Boethia to the east of Windhelm.
Boneshaver
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 11
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Causes 3 Bleeding Damage each second for 4 seconds
Boneshaver is the only unique weapon introduced with the Redguard Elite Armaments creation. It is of course curved, like every Redguard Sword if Whiterun's Guards are to be believed, though notably less so than Scimitars available in Dead Man's Dread. Its bleeding damage is low, but useful at low levels. It can be found during the Interception quest, which begins in Shor's Stone.
Ice Blade of the Monarch
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 17
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals an additional 30 points of Stamina damage and Frost damage on hit, also Slows enemies significantly for 3 seconds
The Ice Blade of the Monarch is an artifact included in the creation The Contest, which has the player follow a group of adventurers to kill a giant spider. This weapon is very powerful, as it practically guarantees massive Health damage while also giving the player a chance to get away. The quest Caught In A Web begins in Windhelm's Candlehearth Hall.
Staff of Worms
- Weapon Type: Staff
- Raw Damage: N/A
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Brings a dead body back to life permanently, increases Healing on the resurrected ally
The Staff of Worms is an artifact once wielded by Mannimarco himself, the King of Worms and the central antagonist in The Elder Scrolls Online's main quest. The Staff of Worms has very few uses, but its effect to create a permanent undead ally is unmatched (and perfectly suited to its former Necromantic owner). The Staff of Worms is found in the player home Gallows Hall, southwest of Windhelm.
Civil War Champions Unique Weapons
Civil War Champions adds a canonical duel between a force of Imperials and a force of Stormcloaks, each of which elect a Champion to fight the other side's own Champion. The Dragonborn comes across this fight after reading the Battle Of The Champions book in Whiterun's Drunken Huntsman, which guides them to a camp of the enemy faction east of Whiterun.
The creation notably adds two beautiful sets of armor - the Imperial Dragon set and the Storm-Bear set - but it also adds some powerful unique weapons. Akatosh's Talon is a two-handed hammer, and Dragon's Oath is a one-handed sword, each with the same Fire Damage enchantment with different values.
Akatosh's Talon
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Hammer
- Raw Damage: 27
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 50 Fire Damage on hit, extra damage dealt to Burning targets
Akatosh's Talon is a Warhammer that is obtained by choosing the Imperial side in the Battle of the Champions. It can also be acquired by defeating the Imperial Champion if the player chooses the Stormcloaks.
Dragon's Oath
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 14
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Fire Damage on hit, extra damage dealt to Burning targets
Dragon's Oath is a One-Handed Sword that is given to the player if they join the Stormcloak side of the duel, but is given to the Stormcloak Champion if the player chooses the Imperial side. Just like Akatosh's Talon, this weapon can be acquired by defeating the opposing Champion if they wield it.
The Cause Unique Weapons
The Cause is a questline tied to the events of Oblivion and has some lore implications that change how players might look back on the fourth Elder Scrolls entry. In this Creation, new with Anniversary Edition, players are tasked to investigate rumors of the construction of an Oblivion Gate by the reformed Mythic Dawn.
This Creation adds a number of Lorebooks, several new areas to explore (like Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands), new allies and enemies, as well as three unique weapons. The Staff of Ehlno Ede creates Walls of Lightning, Torment is a one-handed Sword that deals Fire damage, and Scourge is capable of banishing all but the most powerful Daedra.
Staff of Ehlno Ede
- Weapon Type: Staff
- Raw Damage: N/A
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Creates a Wall of Storms for 50 points of damage per second at the target locations, and drains 8 Stamina per second from targets
The Staff of Ehlno Ede is introduced with The Cause and has a pretty powerful, if a bit mismatched, effect. It summons a Wall of Storms at a target location dealing a massive amount of Shock damage, but it also absorbs Stamina – perhaps a Heavy Armor Battlemage could find this Staff to be effective.
Torment
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 18
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Fire Damage to targets, dealing extra damage to Burning enemies
Torment is a Sword that looks about as close to a Dremora's blade as Skyrim players are ever going to get. It has crimson Daedric script embedded on its black blade above a pointed hilt, a symbol of Torment if ever there was one. It's found on the body of Valkyn Methats in the Deadlands.
Scourge
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Mace
- Raw Damage: 18
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantment: Banishes Daedra up to Level 36
Scourge is one of those weapons that the Vigilants of Stendarr would do almost anything to get their hands on. It has the ability to instantly banish any Daedra up to Level 36 on hit, making fights against Conjurers and Daedra worshippers much, much easier. It's found on the body of Valkyn Gatanas when the player goes to the Deadlands.
Ghosts of the Tribunal Unique Weapons
Ghosts of the Tribunal is perhaps the most anticipated new Creation included with Skyrim Anniversary Edition, as it brings back a huge number of Morrowind-themed armor, weapons, stories, and an absolute ton of Lorebooks and unique questlines. It's no small mod - it's an experience players can expect to spend more than a few hours completing.
Ghosts of the Tribunal explains much of what happened after the disappearance of Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, the former Living Gods of the Dark Elves. It also introduces a whole six new unique weapons, including the return of iconic Morrowind weapons like Trueflame.
Cleaver of St. Felms
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Axe
- Raw Damage: 14
- Improved With: Dwarven Metal Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Fire Damage to targets and absorbs 25 points of Magicka
The Cleaver of St. Felms is an artifact associated with the Dunmer patron saint of Butchers and Fishmongers. Its Fire Damage and Magicka Absorb powers don't seem altogether too useful for practitioners of those professions, but it's a powerful Axe for players who dabble in the arcane arts.
Hopesfire
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 17
- Improved With: Dwarven Metal Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Shock Damage and 15 Magicka Damage to enemies on hit
Hopesfire is a weapon that has appeared both in Morrowind (in the Tribunal DLC) and in The Elder Scrolls Online. It has a curved blade with a long, straight hilt, with golden detailing along the back of the blade and the handle. Its Magicka and Shock damage make it a good choice for fighting Mages, though it has few uses.
Light of Day
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Mace
- Raw Damage: 16
- Improved With: Iron Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 15 Sun Damage on hit, tripled for Undead targets. Vampires cannot wield this as it has the same effects as Daylight.
The Light of Day is a spiked Mace that can be found in the hidden Temple that players discover soon after beginning the Ghosts of the Tribunal questline. It is unique as it cannot be wielded by Vampires, lest they suffer Daylight-like debuffs, and it likewise deals vastly improved damage to Undead targets.
Magebane
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 22
- Improved With: Refined Moonstone
- Enchantment: Deals 60 Magicka Damage on hit
Magebane is, as its name might suggest, an incredible weapon to wield against wizards. Its raw damage output is a bit lacking compared to some other Greatswords in Skyrim, but its huge 60 points of Magicka Damage ensures that enemy mages won't be able to cast more than one or two spells.
Skull Crusher
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Warhammer
- Raw Damage: 28
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Stamina Damage on hit
Skull Crusher is a Warhammer that can be found during the main Ghosts of the Tribunal questline, and similar to Magebane, it deals great Stamina damage on hit. 30 Points of Stamina damage in conjunction with a raw damage output of 28 make this a powerful weapon against almost every foe. Plus, it has more than 140 charges.
Trueflame
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 16
- Improved With: Dwarven Metal Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Fire damage over one second, increased for Burning foes
Trueflame is an iconic weapon of Morrowind's Tribunal expansion, and is also seen in Elder Scrolls Online. While it has a pretty basic Fire Damage enchantment, it is unique as it has infinite uses and never needs to be charged. Plus, 30 Fire Damage is nothing to sneer at. Trueflame has its own associated quest in Ghosts of the Tribunal, which begins by following rumors of the blade in Solstheim.
Saints and Seducers Unique Weapons
Saints and Seducers is one of the most well-known Creations in Skyrim's Creation Club, now included with the Anniversary Edition update. It brings back the aesthetics of two familiar Daedra from the Shivering Isles, being the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers, although the bandits wearing their armor are not, in fact, Daedra.
Saints and Seducers introduces a number of beautiful armor sets, several new locations to explore, an Oblivion-inspired questline, and a confrontation with one of the rarest types of Daedra worshippers. Two major unique weapons are included in Saints and Seducers – Nerveshatter, a Shocking Warhammer, and the Sword of Jyggalag, a very neutral Daedric artifact.
Nerveshatter
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Hammer
- Raw Damage: 29
- Improved With: Refined Amber
- Enchantment: Deals 30 Shock Damage, and 15 Magicka damage, on hit
Nerveshatter is a Warhammer found in the Saints and Seducers sidequest also titled Nerveshatter. It is made of Madness Ore and appears as a golden-orange hammer featuring two jagged crystal formations on its head. It is found in Crystaldrift Cave, which is located in the mountains just south of Riften.
Sword of Jyggalag
- Weapon Type: Two-Handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 27
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantment: None (can be enchanted, though)
The Sword of Jyggalag is, technically, not a Daedric artifact. In the Shivering Isles DLC for Oblivion, the player fights the Daedric Prince of Order after separating him from Sheogorath. Jyggalag wields this Sword, though it holds no enchantment or is officially considered a Daedric artifact. Jyggalag tends not to get involved in the realm of mortals, after all.
Divine Crusader Unique Weapons
The Divine Crusader creation notably includes the Armor of the Crusader, first featured in the Knights of the Nine DLC for Oblivion. First worn by the mythical Pelanial Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader set bequeaths massive bonuses to its wielder as long as they take no evil actions in the world.
Two unique weapons are introduced to Skyrim with the Divine Crusader addon, being the Mace and Sword of the Crusader. Each has the same Fire Damage enchantment, but like all tiers of One-Handed Weapons, there are minor differences between each in terms of raw damage, swing speed, and weight. Both are found in Four Skull Lookout.
Mace of the Crusader
- Weapon Type: One-Handed Mace
- Raw Damage: 16
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 15 Fire Damage on hit, increased against Burning targets
The Mace of the Crusader is one of the two weapons featured in the Divine Crusader set. This one swings slower than the Sword, but deals two extra physical damage on hit. It is also, however, worth about 500 gold more than the Sword.
Sword of the Crusader
- Weapon Type: One-handed Sword
- Raw Damage: 14
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantment: Deals 15 Fire Damage on hit, increased against Burning targets
The Sword of the Crusader is the second of the two unique weapons in this creation. Just like all Swords, it swings a bit faster than the Mace at the cost of raw damage. It is found on the body of the thief with the Light Crusader Armor, but of course both Bandit corpses can be looted for all the pieces of the Divine Crusader set.