The Ebony War Axe is one of the best one-handed axes you can get in the base game. It deals 15 base damage and weighs 17, and it only costs two 
ebony ingots and two leather strips to forge, which is a bargain for this tier.
It is a strong fit for dual-wielders and sword-and-board fighters in Ebony Armor. Even late in the game, many players never bother replacing it, because the Daedric version adds no extra damage for the extra effort.
Stats
| Type | War Axe |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Ebony |
| Damage | 15 |
| Weight | 17 |
| Value | 865 gold |
| Speed | 0.9 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.85 |
| Critical damage | 7 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 000139AB |
Where to find
- Unenchanted ones start appearing at level 36, enchanted ones at level 37.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants, and found as random loot.
- Draugr deathlords and death overlords may carry one from level 30. Known spots include Arcwind Point, Ansilvund (Holgeir), Dead Men’s Respite (Olaf One-Eye), Folgunthur and Reachwater Rock (Mikrul Gauldurson), and Volskygge.
- In Dragonborn, Saering’s Watch and the Temple of Miraak.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 2 × Ebony Ingot, 2 × 
Leather Strips. Requires the Ebony Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Ebony Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other war axes
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) war axes in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron War Axe | 8 | 11 | 30 |
| Ancient Nord War Axe | 9 | 14 | 15 |
| Steel War Axe | 9 | 12 | 55 |
| Orcish War Axe | 10 | 13 | 90 |
| Dawnguard War Axe | 11 | 13 | 55 |
| Dwarven War Axe | 11 | 14 | 165 |
| Falmer War Axe | 11 | 21 | 82 |
| Forsworn Axe | 11 | 15 | 90 |
| Elven War Axe | 12 | 15 | 280 |
| Honed Draugr War Axe | 12 | 16 | 27 |
| Nord Hero War Axe | 12 | 11 | 165 |
| Nordic War Axe | 12 | 14 | 350 |
| Skyforge Steel War Axe | 12 | 12 | 80 |
| Glass War Axe | 13 | 16 | 490 |
| Honed Falmer War Axe | 13 | 21 | 245 |
| Daedric War Axe | 15 | 18 | 1500 |
| Ebony War Axe | 15 | 17 | 865 |
| Stalhrim War Axe | 15 | 16 | 1180 |
| Dragonbone War Axe | 16 | 21 | 1700 |
Tips and notes
- Improve it at a grindstone with an ebony ingot; Ebony Smithing doubles the improvement.
- It matches the Daedric War Axe on damage but is lighter, so upgrading is mostly a matter of taste.
- The Stalhrim War Axe has the same base damage and weighs slightly less.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record EbonyWarAxe). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
