The Orcish Greatsword is a two-handed slab of orichalcum that hits for 18 base damage and weighs 18. It is one of the first real upgrades over iron and steel greatswords that a two-handed fighter can get their hands on.
Orcish sits early in the heavy-armor branch of Smithing: the perk needs Smithing 50, but the weapon itself starts circulating from level 6, so you often find one long before you can make one. It pairs naturally with Orcish Armor for a matching Orsimer look.
Stats
| Type | Greatsword |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Orcish |
| Damage | 18 |
| Weight | 18 |
| Value | 75 gold |
| Speed | 0.7 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.1 |
| Critical damage | 9 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0001398F |
Where to find
- Unenchanted ones appear from level 6, enchanted from level 7.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Wielded by various characters and enemies, and found in chests or lying about the world.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 4 × 
Orichalcum Ingot, 3 × 
Leather Strips, 2 × 
Iron Ingot. Requires the Orcish Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Orichalcum 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
- Recipe: 4 Orichalcum Ingots, 2 Iron Ingots and 3 Leather Strips.
- Temper with an Orichalcum Ingot; Orcish Smithing doubles the improvement.
- One-handed alternative: the Orcish Sword.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record OrcishGreatsword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.