The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still an incredibly popular video game to play, even seven years after its release. The regular re-releases of the game have kept this massive RPG current over the years, allowing players to add mods or play the game in virtual reality.
Earning well over $1 billion, there is no denying that Skyrim was a massive success for Bethesda, and a good chunk of the game's success can be credited to just how widely detailed the game is.
The game allows the player to travel across the wide province of Skyrim, becoming the largest open world game in the Elder Scrolls franchise. Scattered across the province are hundreds of caves, mines, ruins and other locations for the Dragonborn to explore.
These caves and mines would feel incomplete without something inside to make the journey worthwhile. While many of these caverns only have a chest with gold and gems inside, every once and a while, the Dragonborn will come across a weapon that they can add to their ever-expanding armory.
Often, these weapons found in caves are actually unique, carrying an enchantment or title that you can't find anywhere else in the game. While there are plenty of these weapons scattered throughout the game, many of them are accessible throughout common quest-lines, such as the Blade of Woe or the Staff of Magnus.
While unique quest-given weapons are certainly cool, the experience of finding a hidden unique weapon, be it sitting in a cave or part of a miscellaneous quest, is arguably even more delightful and exciting.
With this in mind, here are 20 Rare Hidden Weapons In Skyrim (And How To Find Them).
Zephyr
Zephyr is an incredibly unique enchanted bow found in the ruins of Arkngthamz. This is a rather powerful weapon, having the largest base damage per second of any archery weapon in the entire game due to its enchanted ability to fire arrows 30% faster, which is an enchantment that never runs out of charge.
In order to find this weapon, you must have the Dragonborn DLC. If you do have this DLC, you must enter the Arkngthamz ruins in the southwest regions of the map. Upon entering these ruins, the Dragonborn will meet the ghost of the adventurer Katria, who will begin the quest "Lost to the Ruins."
This is a rather long side quest, featuring the Dragonborn journeying through several Dwemer ruins in order to solve an ancient mystery.
Fortunately, Zephyr can be found rather early in the quest, resting dangerously at the end of a log above a fatal drop.
Unfortunately, Zephyr cannot be reached using any spell. Instead, the Dragonborn must walk carefully along the log in order to retrieve the weapon. After retrieving the bow, Katria will tell the Dragonborn to take good care of the weapon, as it used to be hers.
Bloodskal Blade
The Bloodskal Blade is an incredible weapon that can only be found using the Dragonborn DLC. This particular blade has a unique enchantment to it, allowing it to send linear energy blasts with every power attack.
In order to retrieve this mystical weapon, the Dragonborn needs to enter Raven Rock Mine in Solstheim. Upon entering, the Dragonborn will come across a few bickering NPCs, who will give you the side quest "The Final Descent."
This quest will eventually lead the Dragonborn to Bloodskal Barrow, where the Bloodskal Blade can be found near the lifeless remains of Gratian Caerellius. This quest is actually a bit of an Easter Egg, as both Gartian Caerellius and the Bloodskal Blade appeared in the Morrowind DLC Bloodmoon.
Volendrung
Volendrung is an impressive warhammer that has appeared in every Elder Scrolls game, from The Elder Scrolls: Arena to The Elder Scrolls Online. This ancient Daedric weapon is rather useful as it rapidly drains the stamina of enemies and restores the stamina of its user.
To retrieve this formidable weapon, the Dragonborn must complete the side quest "The Cursed Tribe."
To start this, you must head to the Orc stronghold Largashbur near Riften, where you will find that the residents of this stronghold are seemingly under some sort of curse.
This can be a rather strenuous quest, as it opens with the Dragonborn needing to retrieve some Troll Fat and a Daedra Heart (the latter of which is not a common item at all). From here, you must team up with the Stronghold's chief to defeat a giant, after which the chief will betray you, meaning you must defeat him as well.
Fortunately, the payoff of this long quest is Volendrung, which is gifted to the Dragonborn by the Daedric Prince Malacath as thanks for helping redeem the stronghold.
Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls
As its name suggests, the Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls is enchanted with both fire damage and soul trap, making it a truly formidable weapon that makes it easy to renew its enchantment.
In order to retrieve this weapon, you must enter Ironbind Barrow, southwest of Winterhold. Upon entering the cave (or before you enter if you talk to the two people outside of the cave), the side quest "Coming of Age" will begin, which will lead you to Warlord Gathrik in the depths of the Barrow.
Rather than being a weapon used by Warlord Gathrik, the Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls is actually hidden behind this tyrant's throne, making it a weapon that most players overlook.
Unfortunately, one of the two NPCs who journeys through the cavern with you, Salma, may pick up this weapon if she is disarmed in battle, which makes retrieving it a bit more difficult.
Miraak's Sword
While Miraak's Sword isn't necessarily hidden, as it is the main weapon used by the primary antagonist of the Dragonborn DLC, it is certainly a weapon that a number of players overlook.
Upon completion of the final boss of the main Dragonborn quest, Miraak, you will receive the opportunity to loot his body.
While most people go directly for his intimidating mask, his sword is arguably the coolest artifact that you can get your hands on.
It is the second lightest one-handed sword in the entire game, in addition to having the highest base physical damage. It's enchantment also allows the user to drain the stamina of their enemies.
However, the best feature about this sword is arguably how cool it looks. The tentacles on the hilt always move, and when doing an attack, a long tentacle grows from the weapon to strike your foe, which is honestly a rather cool sight.
Eduj
While this particular sword doesn't necessarily have any enchantments to make it stand out, its unique appearance is what makes retrieving this particular weapon worthwhile. It's an ancient Nordic weapon used by the legendary hero Kvenel the Tongue.
To find this fabled blade, you must enter the ancient ruins of Volunruud, which is south of Dawnstar and east of Morthal. Upon reading Heddic's Volunruud Notes, the quest "Silenced Tongues" will begin, taking you through the ruins and eventually leading you face to face with the spectral draugr of Kvenel the Tongue.
Upon defeating Kvenel the Tongue, Eduj can be recovered from his remains. Though it's not the best weapon in a fight, it certainly looks great on a weapons' rack or in a trophy case.
Okin
Eduj wasn't the only weapon favored by Kvenel the Tongue during his legendary, heroic adventures. The ancient war axe Okin was another weapon that Kvenel would use. Like Okin, it doesn't necessarily have any unique enchantments or abilities, but its unique design still makes it stand out.
The process of retrieving Okin is very similar to Eduj. You must travel into Volunruud and start the "Silenced Tongues" side quest.
However, unlike Eduj, you cannot find Okin by taking it off of the remains of the defeated Kvenel the Tongue.
Instead, Okin will actually be dropped by Kvenel during the fight, so you will actually have to try to find it dropped on the ground somewhere near his remains. Because of this, many people forget to grab this weapon, separating Eduj and Okin for the first time in centuries.
Gauldur Blackblade
The Gauldur Blackblade is a rather useful, unique version of the Ancient Nord Sword. Not only does it have a cool appearance, but its enchantment is arguably what makes it stand out. This is one of those rare, useful weapons that allows its user to drain and absorb the health of their enemies, which is a genuinely helpful ability to have.
To retrieve this weapon, enter Folgunthur near Solitude. This location is an important location in the side quest "Forbidden Legend," which should begin upon entering the ruins. The quest will lead you through the ruins to Mikrul Gauldurson, who you can loot the Gauldur Blackblade off of after defeating him.
Unlike most unique weapons in the game, the Gauldur Blackblade is able to be disenchanted in order to enchant other weapons with the same "absorb health" abilities. This is certainly a great perk, as the Gauldur Blackblade may feel under-powered if you retrieved it at a low level. Giving its enchantment to a different weapon will allow you to fully utilize its helpful abilities.
Notched Pickaxe
This item is both cleverly well hidden and a fun Easter Egg. It's a regular looking pickaxe, with enchantments to do shock damage and to raise the user's Smithing level by 5, which is honestly pretty useful.
This item is widely believed to be a reference to Minecraft creator Markus Persson, who is nicknamed "Notch." Pickaxes are the most common tools used in Minecraft, which would explain why this particular item was named after him.
In order to retrieve this unique artifact, you must climb to the peak of the Throat of the World, the largest mountain in the game where the Greybeards reside.
The best way to get to the peak is to travel to Parthunaax's region near the top of the mountain, and just climb from there. The Notched Pickaxe should be stuck inside a rock just under the actual peak of the mountain.
Dragonbane
Dragonbane is a unique Akaviri Katana used by the Blades that proves itself to be incredibly useful in fights against dragons. It provides a large portion of extra damage to dragons upon hitting them, and does a small portion of shock damage to other enemies.
This weapon isn't necessarily hidden, but it is overlooked, and the process of acquiring it can be rather particular. The sword is found on one of the tables inside Sky Haven Temple during the main story quest "Alduin's Wall."
However, if you do not retrieve this weapon during the quest "Alduin's Wall" and try to take the weapon later, it will be considered a stolen item by the game. The only way around this is to choose to defeat Paarthurnax for the Blades rather than sparing him. If you do this, the weapon will no longer be considered a stolen item if you take it from the temple.
Soulrender & Bloodscythe
The two unique scimitars Soulrender and Bloodscythe have some rather mystical features if you wield the two together. These two weapons were both made for each other and were used by the legendary pirate king Haknir Death-Brand.
When dual wielded, Soulrender and Bloodscythe can seriously drain your enemy's magicka, and can even take down their magical defenses, which is a genuinely helpful feature when taking on magic-based enemies like Necromancers.
To find these two weapons, you will need the Dragonborn DLC and be at least level 36. From here, you will need the Dragonborn to read a copy of the book Deathbrand, which will start the side quest "Deathbrand," leading you across Solstheim in search of Haknir Death-Brand's treasure.
The quest will eventually lead you to Gyldenhul Barrow, where you will find the body of Haknir Death-Brand. Both of these legendary swords can be found with his remains.
Windshear
Windshear is probably one of the most unique weapons in the game, being the only weapon enchanted to knock enemies down upon striking them. This is certainly an incredibly useful feature in a fight, especially against a stronger foe or against a group of enemies.
Unfortunately, Windshear is very well hidden, and it could take people quite a while to acquire. In order to retrieve this weapon, you need to start one of the final Dark Brotherhood quests, "Hail Sithis." The weapon is only accessible during or after this quest. If you chose to get rid of the Dark Brotherhood rather than join them, you unfortunately will never be able to acquire this weapon.
Upon starting the "Hail Sithis" quest, the Emperor's ship The Karliah will become an accessible location. Windshear is actually stuck in the front of this ship. To reach it, you need to make your way to the main deck of The Karliah, and then walk across the beam at the very front until you can reach Windshear.
Wuuthrad
Most people who completed the Companions quest line are familiar with Wuuthrad, the legendary battleaxe of Ysgramor. This weapon is repaired during the Companions quest line, before it is ultimately put on a statue in order to open Ysgramor's tomb.
What many people do not know about this weapon, however, is that you can still access the weapon after the quest in order to add it to your personal collection.
After you put Wuuthrad on the statue of Ysgramor to open his tomb, you can easily just take the weapon back.
Though this does feel a bit disrespectful, given the narrative of the Companions quest line, it's a cool weapon in a video game, so who cares? For whatever reason, Wuuthrad is particularly useful against Elves, so it's not too bad of a weapon to have if you're taking on the Aldmeri Dominion.
Bolar's Oathblade
Bolar's Oathblade is a Blades' sword, strongly resembling the Akaviri Katanas used in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This particular sword does some serious stamina damages to enemies, in addition to causing enemies up to level 12 to flee.
According to the game's history, this sword belonged to the Blade Acilius Bolar, who was one of the few surviving Blades after Cloud Ruler Temple was attacked by the Thalmor. Bolar soon escaped to Skyrim, where he lived out the rest of his life.
This cool weapon can be discovered in Bloated Man's Grotto near Falkreath, in front of a statue of Talos, along with a few other items previously owned by Acilius Bolar. Unfortunately, if you have started or completed the side quest "Ill Met by Moonlight," Talos's shrine and Bolar's Oathblade will no longer be in the game, making this weapon non-acquirable.
Bloodthorn
Bloodthorn is a unique dagger found at the Hag's End. It has a unique enchantment that cannot be learned at arcane enchanters, allowing the user to collect their enemy's soul in a soul gem if they are defeated within three seconds, in addition to absorbing their health. If you're a player who likes to fill soul gems, this weapon can be incredibly useful.
This dagger can be found by reaching the highest balcony of Hag's End, west of Dragon's Bridge. The weapon is sitting on an altar, guarded by a rather powerful hagraven.
Unfortunately, if you try to retrieve Bloodthorn at a higher level, the hagraven protecting the altar will shoot fireballs and ice storms at the Dragonborn, which have the potential to blast the dagger off of the altar, making it rather difficult to find.
Dwarven Black Bow of Fate
The Dwarven Black Bow of Fate is a rather powerful bow that can only be discovered if you have the Dragonborn DLC. This unique bow has the potential to absorb 25 points of stamina, magicka or health from your enemy with each hit, which is honestly a pretty cool perk.
Even if the enchantment doesn't work for a hit, it's still a powerful bow, having about the same base damage as an Elven bow. It's also rather unique looking, with certain markings on the bow glowing a faint orange at times.
The Dwarven Black Bow of Fate can be found inside the Dwemer Ruins of Kagrumez, just south of Miraak's Temple in Solstheim. Unfortunately, in order to get into the ruins, you will need to acquire Kagrumez Resonance Gems through the side quest The Kagrumez Gauntlet. Once inside, this powerful foe can be found on a rack in the southeast room.
The Ghost Weapons
The Drainblood Battleaxe, the Drainspell Bow, the Drainheart Sword, and the Ghostblade are four unique spectral weapons, or ghost weapons, that can be found being wielded by spectral draugrs in Labyrinthian and Ansilvund.
Unlike most weapons wielded by the undead throughout Skyrim, these four ghost weapons keep their translucent, ghostly appearance when being wielded by the Dragonborn, and each has their own specific power that ties in with their titles.
The Drainblood Battleaxe absorbs the enemy's health, the Drainspell Bow absorbs the enemy's magicka, the Drainheart Sword absorbs the enemy's stamina, and the Ghostblade ignores the enemy's armor, while also adding three extra points of damage.
The first three ghost weapons can be found with random enemies in Labyrinthian, east of Morthal, while the Ghostblade can only be found in Ansilvund, southeast of Windhelm.
On a fun side note, the Ghostblade is the only weapon in the game that can be improved using Ectoplasm.
Aegisbane
Across Windhelm, one of the common discuss topics you can overhear from NPCs is that one of the family heirloom weapons of the Shatter-Shield family has mysteriously disappeared. Though hearing this dialogue doesn't start the journey to this unique weapon, there is a quest that leads to this heirloom spawned by the Dark Brotherhood.
The quest "Mourning Never Comes" leads the Dragonborn to their next target, Alain Dufont, who evidently was the man who stole Aegisbane from the Shatter-Shield.
Humorously, if you equip this weapon in Windhelm, some of the guards may point out that it was indeed the stolen heirloom of the Shatter-Shield family, although there is no way to return it to them.
Aegisbane's enchantment inflicts frost damage that takes away from the enemy's health and stamina, making it a pretty decent weapon to wield.
Bow of the Hunt
As its name suggests, this enchanted bow is especially useful for hunters. While it doesn't really inflict any extra damage to enemies, it does bring an extra 20 damage to the health of animals. This can help for players who like to hunt elk or really don't like bears.
In order to retrieve this unique bow, you will have to travel into the cave by Clearspring Tarn in the Rift, which is quite a bit south of Windhelm.
The cave can be rather hard to reach, being on the side of a cliff, but once you can find the path to the entrance, the Bow of the Hunt will be rather easy to acquire.
The Bow of the Hunt is located on an altar near the back of this small cave, along with a book that helps to raise the archery skill. Unfortunately, this altar is guarded by a troll, which can be a bit of a challenge for lower level players.
Giant's Club
While these weapons are not able to be equipped by the Dragonborn, there is one particular club that can be used by your followers, leading to some rather fun gameplay.
To do this, you need to travel to one of four giant's camps: Tumble Arch Pass, Steamcrag Camp, Secunda's Kiss, or Red Road Pass. After defeating the giants at these locations, look around for a giant's club that is lying on the ground. Once you've located the club, ask your follower to "do something for you" and have them pick up the club.
From this point on, the giant's club will remain in this follower's possession, and will typically be their preferred weapon. The only way it can be taken from them is by taking the life of your follower while they have the club equipped, after which the club will fall on the ground and be ready to be equipped by another follower, or even moved into a trophy case.
Unfortunately, since the discovery of these weapons in the game, Bethesda has since "nerfed" the giant's clubs, making it so your follower can no longer have the massive strength of a typical giant.
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Are there any other hidden weapons in Skyrim? Let us know in the comments!