Having weapons while exploring the world of Skyrim is important. As beautiful as the world is, it is also dangerous, and there are various weapons that players can use to defend themselves. You can buy weapons, loot them, and craft them yourself with Smithing. But if you want a one-of-a-kind experience, you need some Unique Weapons in Skyrim.
As the name suggests, these are one-of-a-kind weapons with special models and effects. You can attempt to replicate the effects and stats using your enchanting and smithing skills. Read our Enchanting Guide and Smithing Guide for more on how to upgrade weapons and induce magical effects on them. But you won’t get special models for these weapons.
That’s why you need Unique Weapons. Some are better than others, so it’s important to know which are the best and which leave a lot to be desired.
18. Sanguine Rose
You get this weapon as a reward for playing through A Night To Remember. You can begin this quest by participating in a drinking contest with Sam Guinne. This is the Daedric Lord Sanguine himself and what happens after is something out of The Hangover movie. Once you complete the quest, he will give you the staff. Using it, you can summon a Dremora Lord companion for 60 seconds. This a powerful NPC that can help you out in a pinch, but beyond that, there isn’t anything special about it.
17. Zephyr
Zephyr is a unique dwarven bow weapon in Skyrim you can get during the Dragonborn DLC. You will find it in the Dwemer Ruin of Arkngthamz. It appears like a regular dwarven bow in all respects except that it draws 30% faster than a regular bow. With the right perks in the Archery tree, you can become a machine gun, firing off arrows like no one’s business.
16. Rueful Axe
An artifact of the Daedric Lord Clavicus Vile, the Rueful Axe is a unique battleaxe perfect for two-handed builds. It does 20 points of stamina damage with each hit in addition to regular base damage. You can get it by playing through the Daedric quest “A Daedra’s Best Friend” and killing Barnabas at the end of it. A useful axe but the cost of killing an adorable talking dog may be too much for you.
15. Ebony Blade
The Ebony Blade is a two handed katana made of our ebony. You get this artifact for doing the Daedric Quest associated with Mephala. This is one of the few unique weapons in Skyrim with an enchantment that allows you to absorb health with a hit. You can absorb 10 points of health as a base enchantment but you can upgrade it up to 30. The catch is you have to kill friendly NPCs to do so.
14. Dawnguard Rune Axe
As the name suggests, this is one of the unique weapons added to Skyrim as part of the Dawnguard DLC. It is a special weapon to use against undead and vampires. It does 10 points of radiant or sun damage with each strike, and the enchantment increases with each undead slain since the last sunrise. Once a new day dawns, the enchantment is reset to 10. This is a powerful axe but you will have to consistently kill undead every day to use it fully.
13. Hoarfrost
Hoarfrost is a unique war axe which deals 15 points of frost damage to health and stamina of the enemy with each hit. This is a standard frost enchantment in the game but what makes this weapon unique is a small chance of freezing the opponent solid with a hit. The enemy will effectively be paralyzed and will still take damage with attacks. But can’t attack you back.
12. Chillrend
This weapon works similarly to Hoarfrost in the game and deals a combined 30 points of frost damage with each hit. It has a small chance to paralyze the enemy for 2 seconds with a hit. Since it is a sword, it swings faster than an axe in Skyrim which allows you to get more hits in than Hoarfrost. This is why we have ranked it higher than Hoarfrost.
11. Mace of Molag Bal
Molag Bal is one of the evilest entities in Elder Scrolls, and this gnarly-looking mace reflects that. You can get this as a reward for the Daedric Quest “The House of Horrors” in Markarth. It deals 25 damage to Stamina and Magicka with each hit. If the target dies within 3 seconds of the first hit, it fills a soul gem, provided you have an empty one.
10. Soulrender and Bloodscythe
These unique weapons are meant to be dual wielded together in Skyrim to fully reap the benefits they provide. They are a unique set of scimitars that can absorb 15 points of health and magicka each with a successful hit. The enchantment works ONLY when they are wielded together. You can also lower the target’s armor as well. You can get these weapons if you have the Dragonborn DLC installed.
9. Nightingale Bow
A treat for sneaky archers in Skyrim, the Nightingale Bow is awarded to you if you play through the Thieves Guild questline and become a Nightingale. It has a unique design and freezes the target for 30 points and shocks them for 15 points of damage with each shot on top of base damage. A must-have for sneak thieves in the game.
8. Volendrung
Are you looking for the perfect two-handed weapon for your build? Then Volendrung may be the answer. This unique warhammer absorbs 50 points of stamina with each hit and is best for players who use power attacks often. As it can recover stamina, it will allow you to power attack more often. The best part is that it has a faster attack speed, almost that of a greatsword. Warhammers have the slowest attack speed in the game, while greatswords are the fastest two-handed weapons. Using Volendrung, you can hit targets for longer and faster.
7. Champion’s Cudgel
This is another one of the unique weapons for heavily armored two-handed builds in Skyrim. It has a special appearance and has the mark of the Empire on the hammer head. It has a very unique and powerful enchantment where you have a 50% chance of dealing 25 points of fire, frost, and shock damage with a hit. If the effect triggers, you can deal 75 points of bonus elemental damage with each hit. However, there is only a 50% chance you will do this damage on a hit.
6. Blookskal Blade
The Bloodskal Blade is a special greatsword found in the Dragonborn DLC during a side quest in Raven Rock. You will find it deep in a Draugr dungeon and can instantly spot it in front a stone door. It has a unique appearance and will release a wave of energy with a power attack that deals 30 points of damage. The energy wave travels a few meters away from you and can provide limited ranged lethality. The arcs correspond with the weapon swing direction, so experiment with your attacks to see what you can do with this one.
5. Auriel’s Bow
Auriel’s Bow is the weapon of the god Akatosh or Auriel in Elder Scrolls lore which you can wield near the end of the Dawnguard DLC. It deals 20 points of sun damage to all targets and undead targets take triple damage. It has a powerful enchantment but needs to be recharged often as it has fewer charges than other enchanted weapons. An excellent weapon to have when clearing out a Draugr dungeon or taking on some vampires.
4. Dawnbreaker
Do you consider yourself an undead exterminator? Then, this sword may be the perfect weapon for you. Dawnbreaker is a unique sword and one of the few weapons that destroy undead and vampires. It deals 10–15 points of fire damage on a hit and has a chance to release a fiery explosion that turns or destroys nearby undead. This prevents you from getting ganged up on while clearing a dungeon. To get this weapon, complete Meridia’s Daedric quest. She’s one of the few Daedric Princes not considered inherently evil.
3. Dwarven Black Bow of Fate
This one works similarly to Champion’s Cudgel, but instead of dealing damage, it has a 50% chance of absorbing 25 points of health, magicka, and stamina. Visually, it looks like a retextured dwarven bow. You can find it in Kagrumez on Solstheim in the Dragonborn DLC. You will need Kagrumez Resonance Gems scattered on the island.
2. Keening
Keening is a unique dagger in Skyrim that returns from Morrowind. It has an assuming appearance but has a very powerful enchantment. It can absorb 10 Points of Health, Magicka, and Stamina on strike. In lore, it was used to defeat Dagoth Ur during events of Morrowind and you will find it during the radiant quest Arniel’s Endeavor.
1. Blade of Woe
The Blade of Woe is a weapon of choice for assassins in Skyrim. Not only does it look amazing, it will allow you to absorb 10 points of health on a hit. Astrid wields it in the game and you need to loot it off her body to get it. The fastest way to get is by initiating the quest to join the Dark Brotherhood until you wake up in the Abandoned Shack. Instead of following her instructions, attack her and kill her and loot the dagger off her corpse.
