A Few Neat Weapons in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim · 7:46pm Jan 3rd, 2020
And I'm dreading my return to work after a quiet couple of days for New Year, so why not throw up another of these, near-pointless as they are? Sounds alright. Let's do it.
So, there are a slew of high-damage weapons you probably expect to find in the following, but allow me to disappoint you now as I declare my intentions for this one: I'm talking neat, which I'll designate as anything conveniently beneficial, relatively painless to attain, a quick-and-dirty boost to your damage output.
In no particular order...
4. Wabbajack
Simultaneously the most effective, most counterproductive weapon on the list, Wabbajack is as volatile as the Daedric prince who bequeaths it to you. Nothing beyond the luck of the draw determines whether you vanquish a Bandit Chief by transforming him into a chicken or wind up facing a Dremora. If you're game to play the odds, the staff is painless to obtain. Find Dervenin as early on in the game as you wish and the rest sorts itself out.
3. Mace of Molag Bal
A Daedric artefact nearly as simple to get your hands on as the above. There's a bit of work, or a good bit depending on which Forsworn camp you draw, involved – but nothing too onerous. Free Logrolf and, once again, the rest takes care of itself. You'll have bagged a weapon whose base damage is equal to that of a Daedric Mace. If you're playing on lower difficulties and don't care about Smithing, it's a go-to for quick-and-dirty 1H builds.
2. Mehrunes' Razor & Windshear
Patience is a virtue so far as this combo goes. Having said that, the Dark Brotherhood questline poses few out-and-out challenges for underdeveloped Dovahkiins. The journey to Mehrunes' Razor is also a slog but, once you're there, you'll have a viable build with which you can play through the rest of the game. By far the most painful of entries.
1. Elven weapons
My personal favourite, particularly applicable to stealth builds. Why slog through the heavy-armor strand of the Smithing tree when, with a skill of 30, you can grab the Elven Smithing perk? An Elven Bow's base damage of 13 is not to be sniffed at, and improvement comes easily. A couple of Fortify Smithing items/potions later, you'll have a reliable weapon with which to tackle a fair chunk of the early-to-mid game. Same applies to Elven gear in general. It's a tidy option worthy of consideration.
