The axe’s capacity for damage over time makes it the best choice for prolonged fights against sturdier opponents. Rather than choosing a favorite weapon type, the best approach is to choose the best weapon for the job. This is one of the most devastating ways Alchemy can enhance Skyrim’s strongest builds. An active elemental cloak spell boosts this damage over time even more, and putting a lingering poison on the axe before combat will add yet a fourth layer to stackable damage. It’s best to enchant the axe with fire, since targets on fire receive further additional damage. Depending on the weapon material, axes can deal anywhere between 5-18 points of bleed damage after spending all three perks in Hack and Slash or Limbsplitter. The axe bleeding damage is unique, however, and stacking other kinds of damage over time on top of it is the best way to maximize its damage output. At first glance it may not seem like these individual perks are worth it, but leaning into them can make for stronger martial builds.Īxes have neither the swing speed of a sword nor the higher base damage of a mace. At higher levels this added layer of contrast between weapon types becomes negligible, but conceptually it’s definitely one of the things The Elder Scrolls 6 should take from Skyrim. Maces and warhammers can be leveled to ignore an enemy’s armor, and axes cause extra bleed damage. Leveling up swords specifically will unlock and improve both their critical hit chance and their critical damage dealt. Whether one-handed or two-handed, Skyrim handles perks related to weapon types in largely the same way. In terms of stamina management, a steel sword that weighs 10 pounds is less risky than an ebony mace which weighs 19. With a depleted stamina bar, none of these strenuous actions are possible. Spending stamina at the right time is critical for melee builds it’s a resource that fuels attacks, affects blocked damage, and allows for sprinting. This means that missing a power attack with a sword isn’t too costly, but missing that crucial power attack with one of Skyrim's heavy Dragonbone greatswords could mean ending up on the back foot. A heavy weapon therefore lands fewer power attacks per fight than a lighter one. It’s far deadlier to dual-wield enchanted, smithed daggers than it is to swing a freshly-looted heavy war axe, even if said axe is made from a stronger material.Ī weapon’s carry weight also determines how much stamina it takes to perform a power attack, making warhammers more a matter of high risk, high reward: While a heavy attack with a heavy weapon will deal tremendous damage, it will drain more stamina. Lightweight weapons boast a much faster swinging speed, meaning more hits per second. In Skyrim, a weapon’s weight affects not only how much inventory space it takes up, but also attack speed. Just like in D&D, powerful weapons with a low carry weight are inherently more valuable. While swords (and daggers) do far less damage than warhammers, they also weigh less. Without even taking skill trees and perks into consideration, weapon type means more than just base damage. Related: What Skyrim’s Best Daedric Artifacts Are This might at first disappoint players who prefer swords to maces, but there are many other factors to consider. Likewise, bludgeon weapons like war hammers and maces always deal the highest damage, while swords and greatswords deal the least. A weapon’s material is an important factor - ebony or Dragonbone always hit harder than iron or steel. Some players choose their weapon based on its aesthetic, but most go by damage value. Excluding Skyrim mods that turn chairs into deadly weapons, Skyrim’s melee weapons fall into three separate categories: swords, axes, and maces.
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