With the two expansion packs and the base game, Skyrim players have access to a staggering number of powerful and useful weapons. Granted, with the enchanting skill, any weapon can become deadly and players will find that their own customized weapon beats a legendary sword or mythical bow any day.

But for those who want to find the most powerful weapon in Skyrim without putting in any work, there are a number of bows, blades, and axes that the player can use to become an unstoppable Dragonborn.

Updated March 31, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim continues to capture the hearts of players years after its release. If anything, the release of Starfield has proven what a huge achievement this game was at the time. The sense of exploration and discovery in this game isn't matched by many others, and it's a shame that Bethesda's world design has regressed following the release of this genre-defining title. Pretty much everyone knows how important it is for Skyrim players to get the best weapons around, to ensure that they can bring it to their enemies without feeling frustrated.

25 Staff Of Magnus

A Unique Staff That Absorbs Magicka And Health

The Staff Of Magnus can be acquired during the course of the College of Winterhold questline, which begins atop the northeastern cliffs of Skyrim in Winterhold proper. Though it has a number of potent abilities and specialties in combat, it does not possess the usual characteristics of more traditional weapons in the game.

To get the most out of this weapon, players must be prepared to quickly drain an opponent’s Magicka. Otherwise, they need to be patient while the Staff of Magnus does that job. Once the target is drained of Magicka, the Staff of Magnus will drain health instead. Against traditional enemies, it’s not the greatest, but against Magicka users this thing is devastating.

24 Mehrunes' Razor

A Dagger With The Ability To Instakill Foes

Most players don't use daggers that much, unless they really want to hammer in their personal brand of role-playing. As a result, Mehrunes' Razor ends up being ignored, which is a shame.

Not only is this weapon a blast to use, but it also has a chance to instantly kill a foe with a hit. This may be a rare occurrence, but it still doesn't fail to wow the player regardless.

23 Okin

A Tough One-Handed Axe That Hits For Serious Damage

One-handed weapons are a blast to use in Skyrim. The Dragonborn can wield two of these weapons at once, a first for the series. This may not seem all that fresh or engaging nowadays, but long-time fans of the series couldn't believe how much fun it was to dual-wield weapons and slice enemies into ribbons.

Okin is a powerful axe found in one of Skyrim's most infamous dungeons, the crypt known as Volunruud. The trek to obtain this weapon is worthwhile. Frost Damage is a great way to tire out foes and force them to become a punching bag for the Dragonborn after a few attacks.

22 Grimsever

A Great Weapon To Shave Off Both Health And Stamina

The fact that glass is used to forge weapons and armor in the world of The Elder Scrolls is both awesome and hilarious at the same time. This idea may seem ridiculous, but players need only take a look at the amazing appearance of the glass armor and weapons to see why players love using this gear.

Grimsever is a unique glass sword that hits like a truck and is enchanted with Frost Damage too. This means that players can whittle down an enemy's health while also reducing their stamina, reducing the threat they pose to the Dragonborn.

21 Champion's Cudgel

Combine Random Elemental Damage With Clubbing Blows

Two-handed weapons hit like a truck in The Elder Scrolls, but only players who don't mind reducing their defenses should think of using these weapons to turn up the heat on their enemies in battle. Finding great two-handed weapons that are worth their weight is easier said than done. Thus, fans of this type of offense will be glad to know that the Champion's Cudgel is an excellent weapon that hits like a truck — in more ways than one.

The randomized elemental damage can be a pain against certain enemies, but this situation won't arise all that often. In this instance, players can just switch to a different weapon, saving the Champion's Cudgel for enemies who have no protection against the combination of regular and elemental damage dished out by this powerful weapon.

20 Nightingale Blade

Perfect For Unleashing Combos In The Heat Of Battle

The Nightingale Blade may be dwarfed by other blades when it comes to sheer damage, but don't let that take away anything from this weapon. After all, its biggest advantage comes from how it absorbs both health and stamina with each hit.

This means that players can wail at enemies and unleash multiple strong attacks without a care in the world since their health and stamina would regenerate anyway. It's certainly not a sword befitting a thief, since its special effect makes it more suited for full-on battles.

19 Volendrung

A Swift Warhammer Perfect At Lower Levels

Players who manage to get the Volendrung early on will be more than satisfied by the sheer power of this weapon. It's pretty fast and its power attacks ensure that most enemies won't be standing up anytime soon after a sundering blow.

While the lack of any upgrade potential does lead to the Volendrung becoming obsolete in the late-game, reaching this point will take many hours. Until then, there's nothing more satisfying than smashing enemies to bits with this swift weapon.

18 Ebony Blade

Heals And Damages At The Same Time

Obtained during the Daedric quest The Whispering Door, the Ebony Blade is a solid weapon after the player has reached level 20. It comes with a decent damage base and special effects.

The ability to deal solid damage to an enemy and heal the player by 30 points with each strike is an incredible edge in combat. The reason it isn’t the most powerful weapon is that there are others that outpace it in terms of damage. The Ebony Blade makes endgame battles achievable thanks to the healing, but these fights can take forever to complete.

17 Dragonbane

Perfect To Tackle Dragons

The Dragonbane katana is obtained during the Alduin’s Wall quest. It’s the perfect weapon for the Dragonborn as it gives special benefits against dragons and decent base damage. When fighting Dragons, one could argue that this is the most powerful weapon in Skyrim.

For facing anything else, it is one of the better weapons, but certainly not the best out there. Still, it’s highly advised that players looking to beat Dragons as a warrior or complete the main quest should wield this blade.

16 Windshear

Interrupt Enemies Constantly With Successive Strikes

Players can acquire the Windshear scimitar during the Dark Brotherhood quest Hail Sithis. It comes with some clever perks that make it a fun and effective weapon to wield.

That brief paralysis translates to an enemy being incapacitated for several seconds, as they fall down and then get back up. The stagger with every attack is also brutal, as fast players can effectively stunlock all but the heartiest of foes. It’ll just take a while to whittle down their health if using Windshear on its own.

15 Wuuthrad

A Great Weapon To Fight Elves With

During a player's adventures in Skyrim, they're bound to encounter several elves throughout the land. Suffice it to say, any edge they can have against these powerful foes would be welcome.

This can be attained with the Wuuthrad, which hits for extra damage against Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, and Falmer. This makes the axe a must-have during a battle against any elf simply for the humiliation it can cause with each hit.

14 The Rueful Axe

Deplete Health And Stamina At The Same Time

Stamina management is a major part of Skyrim. Both enemies and players are limited by how much stamina they can use in any situation. So, it's only a given that any weapon that debilitates stamina as well can be quite powerful.

This is exactly the case with the Rueful Axe, which hits like a truck while also doing 20 points of stamina damage. Any regular enemy will be struggling to block and launch power attacks if they're constantly being hit by this axe.

13 Mace Of Molag Bal

Take Out Health, Stamina, And Magicka In One Go

Molag Bal is one of the most legendary Daedric gods in The Elder Scrolls. Getting to use any weapon belonging to him is bound to be a treat, and the Mace of Molag Bal certainly doesn't disappoint in this regard.

It takes out an enemy's health, stamina, and magicka in one shot, which makes it pretty effective as is. On top of that, it also traps an enemy in a soul gem if they're disposed of within three seconds!

12 Chillrend

A Powerful Sword That Chills Enemies To Their Bones

Players can get their hands on Chillrend by prying it from the cold dead grasp of Mercer Frey, the former Thieves' Guild leader. It has decent DPS potential and a very strong effect enchanted upon it. The DPS achieved with the base damage and the Frost make this weapon worth considering on its own.

But the paralyze for two seconds makes this a very capable weapon in the right hands. Under the right circumstances, the enemy will be helpless as the player attacks. This is a great weapon for beginners that carries long into the latter parts of the game unless the opponent can resist Frost damage.

11 Bloodskal Blade

A Unique Weapon That Launches Beams With A Strong Attack

Stats-wise, the two-handed Bloodskal Blade is the same as a glass greatsword, giving it a base damage of 21 and a weight of 16. While not exactly impressive on its own, what really makes this weapon shine is its special ability.

With this weapon, the player can cast a wave of either vertical or horizontal energy that deals 30 damage. This wave can reach up to 15 feet, hit multiple enemies, and even go through walls. It’s great for surprising foes or softening up a group of enemies before wading into a melee battle.

10 Dawnbreaker

Causes An Explosion When Attacking Undead

This Daedric weapon is a quest reward for serving the Daedric Prince Meridia. This weapon does a basic 12 points of damage, but it deals 10 points of burn damage which makes it a decent weapon against any foe. Given the Daedric Prince’s hatred of the undead, this weapon is especially effective against such foes.

Upon killing a shambling corpse, the weapon has a chance to trigger a fiery explosion that will either turn or utterly eliminate any nearby undead. It’s very helpful for dealing with necromancers, vampires, or any undead in general. Just don’t be a creature of the night when wielding this in battle. The Prince will not stand for being mocked, and the explosion will harm the player too.

9 Blade Of Woe

A Swift Dagger That Absorbs Health

The Blade of Woe is a small dagger wielded by the traitorous leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Astrid. Players can obtain it after learning of the attack on the guild and performing a Black Sacrament on Astrid as her dying wish.

This weapon is ideal for an assassin, as it deals a base damage of 12 and has the ability to absorb 10 points of health with each strike. Players are strongly advised to have a high Destruction skill and use Sneak to get the full effect of the blade.

8 Harkon’s Sword

A Sword That Debilitates Enemies On All Fronts

Wielded by the legendary vampire Lord Harkon, this blade does a paltry 8 points of base damage but possesses a number of vampiric abilities that make it worthy of a lord of the undead. The one-handed sword has the ability to absorb 15 points of health, magicka, and stamina with each strike.

This stunning ability does have the downside of being greedy on charges, so the player will need a lot of filled soul gems. It also only works for a vampire, but given how powerful this sword is, becoming a member of the undead is absolutely worth it.

7 Drainblood Battleaxe

Heals Players With Each Hit

A unique weapon wielded by the spectral form of a Draugr the Drainblood Battleaxe is one of four ghost weapons that’s very powerful for anyone skilled in axe fighting. The stats are great with a base damage of 21 and a weight of a shockingly low five pounds.

This two-handed battleaxe also absorbs 15 points of health with each hit. What’s even better is that, unlike Harkon’s Sword, this ability doesn’t require a charge, meaning the player can use it an infinite number of times and never need a soul gem. Players won't find a better axe in the game.

6 Bloodscythe & Soulrender

Weakens The Enemy With Each Hit

This pair of scimitars was wielded by Haknir Death-Brand, the pirate king. Both blades deal a base damage of 13 but shine when they are wielded together while wearing Deathbrand armor. Bloodscythe will absorb 15 points of health with a chance to lower the enemy’s armor, and Soulrender will absorb 15 points of Magicka with a chance to lower magical defenses.

If the blades are wielded by a player wearing Deathbrand armor, they’ll both receive a 40% boost to damage and a boost to the player’s armor rating. This combination of gear makes the player a force to be reckoned with.