Summary
- Silver shortswords are ideal for early-game non-magic users facing ghosts.
- Elven shortswords provide a solid upgrade at level 9 for short sword users.
- Chillrend, obtained at high levels, offers the best damage output for shortsword players.
The release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has seen a flurry of renewed interest in the classic Bethesda RPG. The visual overhaul has been well-received, and even the few minor gameplay changes that have been made have been met with general praise. That means there are a lot of new heroes venturing through Cyrodil, whether it's their first time or their hundredth.
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There are plenty of weapons to choose from for a player's journey through Oblivion Remastered, whether they want blunt weapons or blades, fast weapons, big, slow, heavy-hitters, or even their bare fists. Shortswords are a bit of a niche weapon. That's because their governing stat is Agility, and daggers (governed by the same stat) offer faster attack speed and easier access to powerful unique enchantments.
With that said, some players might want a shortsword and shield as a backup to their bow to live out their Ranger fantasies — or they might just prefer the block and attack cadence of a shortsword over the dagger's flurry of attacks. For those players, these are the best shortswords in Oblivion Remastered.
7 Silver / Durable Silver Shortsword
Spectre Slayer
- Attack: 11
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Purchase/Looted from level 4 and up
When players first start out in Oblivion Remastered, an upgraded weapon will be hard to come by if players are using shortswords. There are the standard iron and steel options, but once players get to level 4, they should try and find a silver shortsword. That's because silver weapons can be used to fight ghosts and wraiths even without an enchantment, which will come in handy for non-magic users. To get one a little early, players can join the fighter's guild in Chorrol and take one for free from a rack.
6 Elven / Durable Elven Shortsword
Elven Upgrade
- Attack: 15
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Purchase/Looted from level 9 and up
Players likely won't be able to pick up an Elven shortword until level 9, but it's a good upgrade to their base damage once they do. Dwarven shortswords will start appearing a little earlier, but they only do a little more damage than silver swords, and they don't have the advantage of hitting spectral enemies if not enchanted.
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Shortsword players are best to proceed along this standard weapon-quality upgrade path and use their own enchantments if possible, as the limited number of unique enchanted shortswords makes it best to wait until later levels to pick them up.
5 Glass / Durable Glass Shortword
Green Glass Sword
- Attack: 17
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Purchase/Looted from level 12 and up
Glass shortswords start appearing at level 12 and offer the next tier of damage up from the Elven shortsword. The glass weapon will deal solid damage until the next weapon tier is available. At this point in the game, players should aim to have at least one enchanted blade from looting, purchasing, or creating one themselves.
The best enchantments to use are those that deal extra damage, either elemental damage or health damage.
4 Ebony / Durable Ebony Shortsword
Dark Ebony Blade
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Ebony Shortsword
- Attack: 19
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Purchase/Looted from level 16 and up
Ebony weapons are one of the best tiers of weapon in Oblivion Remastered. That's true for shortswords too, and if players get lucky, they can loot an ebony shortsword from level 16 and up. They don't start appearing in shops for another couple of levels, but if players get unlucky and can't find one out in the wild, they should be able to pick one up at a merchant before too long.
3 Deadric / Durable Deadric Shortsword
Demonic Sword
- Attack: 21
- Enchantment: None
- How To Obtain: Purchase/Looted from level 20 and up
Deadric shortswords are the best base shortsword that players can find in Oblivion Remastered. Putting a good enchantment on one of these basic weapons will rival any of the unique enchanted shortswords, so it's a viable option for later game players who have access to enchanting.
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It's worth mentioning that each of the basic shortsword types has a "durable" version that can appear in the Shivering Isles. These weapons have twice as much durability as their regular counterparts, but the same stats otherwise. Deadric swords won't appear as loot until the player is at least level 20.
2 Debaser
Weakening Blade
- Attack: 11 to 24
- Enchantment: Drain Willpower 5 to 30 points, Drain Endurance 5 to 30 points on hit
- How To Obtain: Looted from Agarmir during the "Unfriendly Competition" quest
One of the only two unique enchanted shortswords in Oblivion Remastered, Debaser can be a useful weapon. Its enchantment isn't as good as it might seem, though. Draining Willpower does very little, and draining Endurance doesn't affect enemies in the same way it does the player, so the health-diminishing effect is barely noticeable.
With that said, the Debaser does significant base damage for a shortsword, beating a Deadric sword at high levels, and is also the only shortsword in the game that matches the reach of a longsword. Players can obtain Debaser during the Unfriendly Competition side quest by looting it from Agarmir.
1 Chillrend
Frost Blade
- Attack: 7 to 21
- Enchantment: Frost Damage 5 to 20 points, Weakness to Frost 10 to 35% on hit
- How To Obtain: Reward for "The Killing Field" quest (NPCs must survive)
In terms of damage output, Chillrend is the best shortsword in Oblivion Remastered. Picking this up at high level (25+) means the enchantment deals 20 points of Frost Damage per hit on top of its base damage, while also inflicting Frost Weakness on the enemy, making them take even more damage from subsequent hits.
The sword is relatively easy to obtain, as it only involves completing one short quest, but there's a catch. Players get the sword as a reward for The Killing Field quest, where Valus Odiil asks them to help his sons save their farm from goblins. Killing the goblins is easy, but players also have to keep Odiil's sons alive to get the sword, which adds a small complication to the task. Chillrend is worth the effort for shortsword players, though.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, PC
