The Nord Hero Bow is what you get when the Skyforge gets its hands on a battered Ancient Nord Bow. It keeps the same overall shape but looks far more polished, and it improves on the original in every way that matters: more base damage (11), less weight (7) and a higher value.
It belongs to the small family of Nord Hero weapons that can only be made at the Skyforge in Whiterun, making it a reward for archers who have seen the Companions story through to the end.
Stats
| Type | Bow |
|---|---|
| Skill | Archery |
| Material | Nord Hero |
| Damage | 11 |
| Weight | 7 |
| Value | 200 gold |
| Speed | 0.88 |
| Stagger | 0 |
| Critical damage | 4 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00068C57 |
Where to find
- Finish the Companions questline, ending with Glory of the Dead, to unlock Skyforge crafting.
- Bring an Ancient Nord Bow and three
steel ingots to the Skyforge. - Ancient Nord Bows are common draugr weapons, so a tomb or two should cover the base bow.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at the Skyforge: 1 × Ancient Nord Bow, 3 × Steel Ingot.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Steel Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other bows
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) bows in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Bow | 6 | 5 | 30 |
| Hunting Bow | 7 | 7 | 50 |
| Ancient Nord Bow | 8 | 12 | 45 |
| Imperial Bow | 9 | 8 | 90 |
| Orcish Bow | 10 | 9 | 150 |
| Nord Hero Bow | 11 | 7 | 200 |
| Dwarven Bow | 12 | 10 | 270 |
| Falmer Bow | 12 | 15 | 135 |
| Forsworn Bow | 12 | 11 | 145 |
| Elven Bow | 13 | 12 | 470 |
| Nordic Bow | 13 | 11 | 580 |
| Supple Ancient Nord Bow | 14 | 18 | 235 |
| Falmer Supple Bow | 15 | 20 | 410 |
| Glass Bow | 15 | 14 | 820 |
| Ebony Bow | 17 | 16 | 1440 |
| Stalhrim Bow | 17 | 15 | 1800 |
| Daedric Bow | 19 | 18 | 2500 |
| Dragonbone Bow | 20 | 20 | 2725 |
Tips and notes
- Improve it at a grindstone with a steel ingot.
- Before patch 1.9 it could not be improved at all, because its tempering recipe was mistakenly assigned to the Nord Hero Battle Axe.
- The rest of the set includes the Nord Hero Sword, War Axe and Greatsword.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record NordHeroBow). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
