Skyrim has so much to offer fans even after it hits its tenth anniversary. With countless quests to explore and an astronomical amount of mods available for the game, it's almost guaranteed that everyone will find something they enjoy while playing.

The Dragonborn is capable of dealing large swallows of damage if they know which weapons to put in their two capable hands. While players are capable of using their Smithing skills to make some impressive weapons, there are some unique ones available in the game that players should consider for their special advantages.

Updated on January 16, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: The sheer amount of content players can find in Skyrim is mind-boggling. Mods and Creation Club content have added even more things to accomplish in this game, making every playthrough of this game feel just as fresh and engaging as the last one. Players who love two-handing massive monstrosities in this game to take out enemies will love the many powerful unique weapons they can wield in the game, with some of these blades being absolute gamechangers.

22 Balgruuf's Greatsword

Quest Item Obtained During "Greatsword For A Great Man"

• Base Damage: 17
• Weight: 17
• Base Value: 200

It's a shame that Balgruuf's Greatsword is a temporary item in the Dragonborn's arsenal. It's a quest item obtained during "Greatsword for a Great Man" that needs to be delivered to Jarl Balgruuf, meaning that players can only use it for a short while before turning it in.

While there are exploits that allow players to loot this weapon regardless, the effort is too much considering that players will find better weapons in no time. That being said, it's the limited time with this weapon that makes it fun to use, even if it may not be for too long.

21 Stormfang

Looted From The Body Of A Reaver Lord At Brodir Grove

• Base Damage: 17
• Weight: 17
• Base Value: 1175

Players who explore Brodin Grove and defeat the Reaver Lord will get a chance to wield this weapon. The Stormfang is pretty powerful and can slice through enemies in a flash... quite literally!

After all, this weapon does Shock damage with every hit, taking away an enemy's Magicka in the process too. Players who love elemental weapons will get a kick out of using Stormfang in the game.

20 Trollsbane

Inside Cradle Stone Crag, A Troll Den

• Base Damage: 20
• Weight: 25
• Base Value: 60

Players need to explore Cradle Stone Crag, a troll's den, to find Trollsbane on the body of Frofnir Trollsbane. It's a powerful hammer that, fittingly enough, is especially deadly on trolls.

So, players should make it a point to use this weapon on trolls as much as possible to maximize its efficiency. It's still effective against other enemies, making it a reliable if somewhat situational weapon.

19 Aegisbane

On The Body Of Alain Dufont In The Ruins Of Raldbthar

• Base Damage: 17
• Weight: 20
• Base Value: 28

The ruins of Raldbthar house Alain Dufont and his group of bandits. Players need to defeat every one of them, either as a part of a quest or doing the natural act of exploration and looting Dufont's body to get the Aegisbane.

This warhammer hits like a truck and deals Frost Damage to both health and Magicka on top of its high damage. Suffice it to say, any player looking for a powerful warhammer will be well-served by this weapon for quite some time.

18 The Woodsman's Friend

On The Body Of A Woodcutter Southwest Of The Conjurer's Altar And North Of Pinewatch

• Base Damage: 17
• Weight: 12
• Base Value: 160

It's a shame that this axe takes too long to hit an enemy since the raw damage of The Woodsman's Friend is pretty admirable. As it stands, it's pretty impractical to use this weapon in a tough fight even if the weapon is pretty powerful in terms of sheer raw damage.

Players need to head north of Pinewatch to find a set of felled trees. After this, moving toward the southeastern side of Lake Illinatia will reveal the body of a dead woodcutter, with the axe lying near him on the grass.

17 Silver Greatsword

Frequently Found On The Bodies Of Silver Hand Members

• Base Damage: 17
• Weight: 12
• Base Value: 160

The Silver Greatsword may look basic on the surface, but it has far more complexities than players might expect. While it can't be improved at a grindstone, its additional effects of dealing greater damage to the undead don't count as an enchantment. This means that players can add enchantments on top of it to make the sword even more deadly.

Players will only find this sword on members of the Silver Hand. Luckily, they are commonly encountered while doing quests for the Companions. If the Dragonborn needs that silver right away, they can go to one of their strongholds at Driftshade Refuge, Faldar's Tooth, Lost Knife Hideout, and Gallows Rock and take down enemies to get one.

16 Skyforge Steel Greatsword

Sold By Eorlund Gray-Mane in Whiterun

• Base Damage: 20
• Weight: 17
• Base Value: 140

Most people would scoff at the idea of a lowly steel sword being compared to the best two-handed weapons in Skyrim, but it's the utility of the Skyforge Steel Sword that makes it so useful in the early game. If players have the gold to spare, they should purchase this weapon to make combat easier and more satisfying.

For a steel weapon, this weapon boasts an impressive attack power that can trouble enemies quite a bit. Sure, players will discard this weapon after reaching the mid to late-game, but this two-handed blade will serve them pretty nicely until then.

15 The Rueful Axe

Obtained During The Quest "A Daedra's Best Friend"

• Base Damage: 22
• Weight: 10
• Base Value: 500

This powerful — if somewhat slow — axe whittles down the stamina of any opponent unfortunate enough to be struck by this instrument of pain. The Rueful Axe is quite a blast to use in battle, although its novelty might wear off after a point.

Players need to initiate the quest "A Daedra's Best Friend" and kill the unfortunate Barbas with this axe — keep in mind that no other weapon will do the job — to get this axe as a reward.

14 Drainblood Battleaxe

A Ghost Weapon Obtained On Special Draugr Variants In Labyrinthian During "The Staff of Magnus"

• Base Damage: 21
• Weight: 5
• Base Value: 266

This unique Nordic battleaxe is one of four ghost weapons available in the game. While it can't be upgraded at a grindstone, the fact that its health absorption doesn't require charges to use is incredibly convenient.

The only time these are available to grab is during the quest The Staff of Magnus in the College of Winterhold questline. Players need to make sure to grab one while they're in Labyrinthian.

13 Dragonbone Battleaxe

A Relatively Common Battleaxe At Higher Levels

• Base Damage: 26
• Weight: 30
• Base Value: 3000

The Dragonbone weapons introduced in the Dawnguard expansion are easily some of the best two-handed weapons in Skyrim. Their stats are immense, with the Dragonbone Battleaxe serving as a great example of what these weapons are capable of in the right hands.

These weapons are very rare drops in the world of Skyrim. Thus, most players would find it more reliable to fight the Keepers in the Soul Cairn to obtain this imposing weapon.

12 Headsman's Axe

A Unique Greataxe Wieled By Ahtar

• Base Damage: 17
• Weight: 11
• Base Value: 15

The Headsman's Axe looks incredibly unique but doesn't deal as much base damage as other two-handed weapons. Still, it makes this list for its massive range, as the Headsman's Axe is the longest weapon in the entire game. Giving it proper enchantments can allow players to keep other melee-based enemies far away while taking them down.

The only way to get this axe is by taking it from Ahtar after the execution in Solitude. This can be done peacefully by getting him as a follower and taking it from his inventory, or violently by just killing Ahtar outright. Either way, it's the perfect weapon to use with the Decapitation perk and is a unique choice that even long-time players of the game may have never tried.

11 Dragonbone Greatsword

A Relatively Common Greatsword At Higher Levels

• Base Damage: 25
• Weight: 27
• Base Value: 2725

This is another Dragonbone weapon that pulls no punches when it comes to its sheer power and effectiveness. The Dragonbone Greatsword can cleave through enemies with immense power, destroying weak foes with a single hit.

As is the case with the Dragonbone Battleaxe, the Greatsword can also be obtained randomly by defeating and searching the remains of Keepers in the Soul Cairn. Smithing can also be used to craft a Dragonbone Greatsword. However, the requirement for a Smithing level of 100 coupled with the Dragon Armor perk can put some fans off this rather tedious method of crafting the weapon.

10 Dragonbone Warhammer

A Relatively Common Warhammer At Higher Levels

• Base Damage: 28
• Weight: 33
• Base Value: 4275

Rounding off the trio of Dragonbone weapons on this list is the Dragonbone Warhammer — a massive two-handed weapon that packs a huge punch with every hit and can obliterate enemies with its massive smash damage.

At this point, it should be obvious how players can get this weapon. As is the case with the other Dragonbone weapons on this list, the Dragonbone Warhammer can be found on the remains of defeated Keepers in the Soul Cairn.

9 Daedric Battleaxe

A Powerful Battleaxe That Becomes Common At Higher Levels

• Base Damage: 25
• Weight: 27
• Base Value: 2750

Most Daedric weapons in Skyrim can decimate foes with ease, and the Daedric Battleaxe is no exception to this rule. This axe is easily one of Skyrim's best two-handed weapons and is extremely easy to obtain once players hit level 30 and above. Most merchants and chests in the game world will start spawning this weapon around this level.

Of course, players can go a step beyond and try to get an enchanted Daedric Battleaxe as well. However, netting this loot involves fighting a powerful dragon, and even then, this drop isn't guaranteed.

8 Daedric Greatsword

A Powerful Greatsword That Becomes Common At Higher Levels

• Base Damage: 24
• Weight: 23
• Base Value: 2500

Any fan of the Elder Scrolls games knows how valuable Daedric items are. This legendary material has made an appearance as a part of endgame gear in every title in the series, with its power being spellbinding.

As players become more powerful in Skyrim, they'll be rewarded for their efforts with these Daedric items spawning in the world. This includes the Daedric Greatsword, which is incredibly powerful and can cleave enemies to bits in no time at all.

7 Wuuthrad

Obtained During The Quest "Glory of the Dead"

• Base Damage: 25
• Weight: 25
• Base Value: 2000

Does the Dragonborn have a particular hatred of Elves? If so, then Wuuthrad is the perfect weapon to wield. This legendary axe that was once used by Ysgramor can belong to the player if they complete the Glory of the Dead quest.

While they have to place the axe on a statue during the quest, nothing bad happens if they take it for their own before leaving. It can also have extra enchantments placed upon it to make it even stronger.

6 Volendrung

Given By The Daedric Prince Malacath As A Reward For Completing "The Cursed Tribe"

• Base Damage: 25
• Weight: 26
• Base Value: 1843

Volendrung is a Daedric artifact that has a particularly useful perk as a two-handed weapon. Most of these weapons take a lot of Stamina to use, but this massive hammer absorbs some whenever the Dragonborn lands a hit.

Players can get this legendary hammer by completing the quest The Cursed Tribe for Malacath, the Daedric Prince.

5 Champion's Cudgel

Looted From General Falx Carius During "March of the Dead"

• Base Damage: 24
• Weight: 27
• Base Value: 1767

With each swing of the Champion's Cudgel comes a 50% chance of dealing 25 fire, frost, and shock damage all at once. While players can eventually manage to find and grant weapons stronger enchantments like this, it's the only way for players who want a full set of Imperial armor to use anything but a sword and shield.

It's granted to players after they defeat General Falx Carius during March of the Dead.

4 Dawnguard Rune Hammer

Obtained During "Lost Relic"

• Base Damage: 22
• Weight: 26
• Base Value: 500

There's a way for the Dragonborn to level up Destruction magic while swinging a weapon. The Darnguard Runehammer is a phenomenal unique weapon that allows the player to place fire runes whenever it's swung. The kind of extra damage this allows can be astronomical and each spell cast does increase the Destruction skill.

Players will be able to find it during the Dawnguard side quest Lost Relic. It can appear in one of seventeen radiant locations and unlike many other unique weapons, it can still be improved at a grindstone.

3 Ebony Blade

Obtained In The Quest "The Whispering Door"

• Base Damage: 11
• Weight: 10
• Base Value: 2000

The Ebony Blade can be obtained from one of the darkest quests in the game. If players can complete the quest The Whispering Door they can acquire the blade, but it won't be at full power yet.

The only way to make the blade as powerful as possible is to kill ten characters in the game that are friendly to the Dragonborn. If completed, the Ebony Blade absorbs 30 health per hit without needing charges to do so which is a phenomenal effect.