The Ancient Nord Greatsword is the weathered two-handed blade you will see swung at you by draugr in just about every Nordic tomb. It deals 17 base damage, weighs 18 and is worth only 35 gold, so it is more of a souvenir than a treasure.
It cannot be forged, but it is far from useless: it is the starting point for the improved Nord Hero version made at the Skyforge. It fits right in with Ancient Nord Armor if you want the full tomb-raider look.
Stats
| Type | Greatsword |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Ancient Nord |
| Damage | 17 |
| Weight | 18 |
| Value | 35 gold |
| Speed | 0.75 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.1 |
| Critical damage | 8 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 000236A5 |
Where to find
- Wielded by most draugr and skeletons, usually deep inside ancient Nordic tombs and burial grounds.
- Kill the owner and take it, or pick up spares lying in the crypts.
Crafting and upgrading
This weapon cannot be crafted at a forge – you have to find, loot or buy it.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × 
Steel Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other greatswords
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) greatswords in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Greatsword | 15 | 16 | 50 |
| Ancient Nord Greatsword | 17 | 18 | 35 |
| Silver Greatsword | 17 | 12 | 160 |
| Steel Greatsword | 17 | 17 | 90 |
| Orcish Greatsword | 18 | 18 | 75 |
| Dwarven Greatsword | 19 | 19 | 270 |
| Elven Greatsword | 20 | 20 | 470 |
| Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword | 20 | 21 | 63 |
| Nord Hero Greatsword | 20 | 16 | 250 |
| Nordic Greatsword | 20 | 19 | 585 |
| Skyforge Steel Greatsword | 20 | 17 | 140 |
| Glass Greatsword | 21 | 22 | 820 |
| Ebony Greatsword | 22 | 22 | 1440 |
| Stalhrim Greatsword | 23 | 21 | 1970 |
| Daedric Greatsword | 24 | 23 | 2500 |
| Dragonbone Greatsword | 25 | 27 | 2725 |
Tips and notes
- Temper it with a Steel Ingot; the Steel Smithing perk doubles the improvement.
- After finishing Glory of the Dead you can turn it into a Nord Hero Greatsword at the Skyforge.
- Its stronger cousin is the Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record DraugrGreatsword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.