Skyrim has so much to offer its players. 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 Skyrim players are capable of using their Smithing skills to make some impressive weapons, there are some unique ones available in the game that should be considered for the special advantages they provide.
Updated on March 03, 2025, by Gerardo Molina: At first, a lot of weapons that can be obtained in Skyrim might not seem like a big deal. However, as players level up and progress through the story, they'll quickly realize that several of them are actually quite powerful. It’s all a matter of using the right build and upgrading the right skills. Many of the weapons listed below can either be obtained by defeating a certain enemy or through careful exploration of every corner of the land of Skyrim. Others, however, can only be obtained through the use of console commands, as they're not normally meant to be wielded by players.
32 Steel Battleaxe Of Fiery Souls
A Weapon Imbued With The Fiery Soul Trap Enchantment
- Base Damage: 18
- Weight: 21
- Base Value: 100
Battleaxes in Skyrim are not rare to find. However, there are some in the game that are imbued with powerful incantations. This is the case for the Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls. This powerful weapon can be found in Ironbind Barrow, resting right behind the throne in the main chamber where players can encounter Warlord Gathrik. The Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls can effectively use the Soul Trap enchantment for five seconds and deals Fire Damage for ten. It can be upgraded with a steel ingot at any grindstone and can greatly benefit from the Steel Smiting perk, which can double the improvement made on the weapon.
This weapon has a base damage of 18, a weight of 21, and a base value of 100 Gold. It clearly isn’t the most valuable weapon in Skyrim in terms of the price it can be sold at, but it bears magnificent side effects that can give players an edge in battle.
31 Tsun's Battleaxe
An Unobtainable Battleaxe That Has Great Power
- Base Damage: 27
- Weight: 30
- Base Value: 1,000
This weapon has a very particular trait to it, as it's unobtainable through normal means. Tsun’s Battleaxe is wielded by the Nordic God Tsun, who can be seen during the quest “Sovngarde”. At a glance, this weapon looks exactly like any other Ancient Nord Battleaxe.
However, it deals more damage, it's heavier, and it has a significant value of 1,000 Gold.
The only way to get this weapon is by using console commands, which are very useful in helping players have a more interesting experience. The use of console commands allows players to do all sorts of things, such as activate God Mode to make them invulnerable to everything, get certain items and armor sets, and even enable free camera movement to take some amazing screenshots of an epic encounter. That said, sometimes not even console commands can make this weapon available to players, as some have reported that, although a prompt appears notifying them that the weapon has been added, it still doesn't appear in their inventories.
30 Daedric Warhammer Of Annihilating
A Neat-looking, Deadly Bludgeoning Weapon
- Base Damage: 27
- Weight: 31
- Base Value: 8,069
Daedric weapons are some of the coolest-looking in the world of Skyrim. Not only is their red and black design very fitting to their origin, but the sharp angles and points present in most of them make them have a very intimidating appearance. The Daedric Warhammer of Annihilating is great for bludgeoning enemies and beating them to a pulp, but it also has an additional useful skill.
When wielding this massive weapon, summoned Daedra up to level 36 are sent back to Oblivion, making this Warhammer very useful in many aspects of melee combat. To get the Daedric Warhammer of Annihilating, players will first have to get a regular Daedric Warhammer from a blacksmith, by killing a Legendary or Revered Dragon, or by exploring around to hopefully find one inside a random chest. Then, it's just a matter of enchanting the weapon.
29 Dragonbane
An Excellent Choice For Battling Dragons
- Base Damage: 10-14
- Weight: 10-14
- Base Value: 970-2,766
The Dragonbane katana is one of the best two-handed weapons in the game, both because it has an amazing design, and also because it deals additional damage to dragons, making it a great choice during battles against the winged creatures. The Dragonbane katana can be found in the Sky Haven Temple and scales with players' level, increasing in damage as time passes.
This weapon also does shock damage when used against non-dragon opponents, which makes it extremely versatile and a great choice to both look amazing, and deal with enemies in the blink of an eye. While the effects of this katana are very attractive, it unfortunately cannot be broken down for its enchantments.
28 Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword
Wielded By High-Level Draugr Enemies
- Base Damage: 20
- Weight: 21
- Base Value: 63
Greatswords are some of the best two-handed weapons in Skyrim that players can get their hands on. This weapon can cleave foes in half with ease as long as players have the most powerful variants of this weapon at their disposal, and the Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword is one such weapon that deserves all its plaudits in this department.
This is a weapon that players will find on most high-level draugr enemies, making it a worthy reward for players who love exploring the many crypts and dungeons in Skyrim. It boasts high damage and becomes even more viable in combat once players find a special version of this weapon or enchant it themselves to show enemies who's boss.
27 Dawnguard Warhammer
Wielded By Dawnguard Members
- Base Damage: 22
- Weight: 26
- Base Value: 110
It's only a given that any game with DLC will add a wealth of powerful weapons that players can get their hands on to destroy their foes, and the Dawnguard Warhammer is no exception here. This weapon looks great and is used by members of the Dawnguard to smash their foes. Players can purchase one such weapon from their fort, find it in chests, or loot it from an enemy if they've gone against the Dawnguard.
The weapon looks simple enough but will pummel foes with high attack values. With an enchanted variant of this weapon, players can go even further in their attempts to show enemies who's boss as they're walloped by the Dragonborn and punished for thinking that they could stand a chance against the person destined to save the world. This makes it one of the best two-handed weapons in Skyrim that's a blast to use.
26 Nord Hero Battle Axe
Can Be Crafted At The Skyforge After Completing The Companions Questline
- Base Damage: 21
- Weight: 20
- Base Value: 300
The Nord Hero Battle Axe is one of the best two-handed weapons in Skyrim that player can use to show their enemies who's boss. The weapon looks great and can punish any enemy who thought it to be a prudent idea to try and take out someone as intimidating as the Dragonborn. The base variant of this weapon is quite powerful as is, so players can only imagine how much damage they can inflict once they enchant this weapon.
Unlike most of the weapons players can find or loot in Skyrim, the only way to get the Nord Hero War Axe is to forge it after completing the Companions' quest line. This can make the act of accessing this weapon way harder than most people would assume, but it won't take long for players to get their hands on a great weapon perfect for Skyrim in the early to mid-game, especially if players bring it to an enchanting table soon after.
25 Madness Greatsword
Can Be Crafted After Completing The Quest "Amber And Madness Smithing"
- Base Damage: 26
- Weight: 28
- Base Value: 3,100
The Creation Club has added a wealth of premium content to Skyrim that players can opt for if regular mods aren't cutting it anymore. Most of the content comes in the form of new items that players can mess around with in the game, and the set of Madness weapons is a great incentive to opt for if players want to decimate their opponents in no time.
Skyrim: Most Powerful Bosses, Ranked
With all the DLCs included, Skyrim has tons of different bosses that are either surprisingly easy to defeat or annoyingly difficult to deal with.
Wielding a greatsword in the game feels pretty satisfying, especially if players have used mods to make the combat feel more engaging. So it makes sense that using this powerful greatsword to cleave enemies is as satisfying as can be.
24 Madness Battleaxe
Can Be Crafted After Completing The Quest "Amber and Madness Smithing"
- Base Damage: 27
- Weight: 31
- Base Value: 3,300
The Saints & Seducers Creation Club Content adds a bunch of stuff to Skyrim. From new enemies to unique equipment, players will find the endgame to be more engaging as they uncover everything that this content pack has to offer.
The Madness ore is one such material that is added to the game, and this is a very rare material that takes a lot of work to find. However, the end result is worth it, with players being able to craft Madness weapons like the Madness Battleaxe, which hits like a truck and ensures that any enemy who gets too comfortable with the Dragonborn will regret their decision.
23 Madness Warhammer
Can Be Crafted After Completing The Quest "Amber and Madness Smithing"
- Base Damage: 29
- Weight: 34
- Base Value: 4,600
To learn how to craft items using Madness ore, players must find Evethra's Journal and read it. Along with this, players must have a Smithing skill of 80 and know the Ebony Smithing skill if they wish to make items using this powerful raw material. Meeting these requirements will let players craft some powerful Madness equipment, including the Madness Warhammer.
With this powerful weapon, players can smash enemies into the ground no matter how powerful they are. Enchanting this weapon makes it even more viable if players were prudent about that skill tree as well, but that is optional. Even in its base form, the Madness Warhammer is no joke.