The Silver Greatsword is the signature weapon of the Silver Hand, the werewolf hunters the Companions keep running into. Its base stats are modest (17 damage) but it is very light for a two-hander at only 12 weight. The real draw is its built-in effect: an extra 20 base damage against undead.
That bonus covers draugr, skeletons, dragon priests, vampires and reanimated corpses, and despite not being undead, werewolves and werebears suffer it as well. For barrow-delving warriors that is a huge boost, and it makes the sword far better than its tooltip suggests.
Stats
| Type | Greatsword |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Silver |
| Damage | 17 |
| Weight | 12 |
| Value | 160 gold |
| Speed | 0.7 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.1 |
| Critical damage | 8 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0010C6FB |
Where to find
- Carried almost exclusively by members of the Silver Hand, often met during Companions quests such as The Silver Hand.
- Silver Hand strongholds include Driftshade Refuge, Faldar’s Tooth, Lost Knife Hideout and Gallows Rock.
Crafting and upgrading
This weapon cannot be crafted at a forge – you have to find, loot or buy it.
It cannot be improved at a grindstone.
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
- It cannot be forged or tempered, so what you loot is what you get.
- The undead bonus is not a normal enchantment, so you can add your own enchantment on top at an arcane enchanter. It is also affected by the Elemental Fury shout.
- A Silver Sword or Silver Greatsword is needed to make enchanted Daedric weapons at the Atronach Forge.
- Bug: it can fall off weapon racks, leaving the rack unusable.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record SilverGreatsword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
