The Ancient Nord Battle Axe is the two-handed axe carried by the restless dead of Skyrim’s barrows. It deals 18 base damage, roughly in steel territory, but its low value of 28 tells you how much merchants think of a weathered tomb relic.
It is part of the ancient Nord weapon family that goes with Ancient Nord Armor, and you will almost certainly get swung at with one before you ever pick one up.
Stats
| Type | Battleaxe |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Ancient Nord |
| Damage | 18 |
| Weight | 22 |
| Value | 28 gold |
| Speed | 0.7 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.15 |
| Critical damage | 8 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0001CB64 |
Where to find
- Wielded by most draugr and skeletons, usually inside ancient Nordic tombs and burial grounds.
- It cannot be crafted, so looting it from the dead is the main way to get one.
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 battleaxes
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) battleaxes in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Battleaxe | 16 | 20 | 55 |
| Ancient Nord Battle Axe | 18 | 22 | 28 |
| Steel Battleaxe | 18 | 21 | 100 |
| Orcish Battleaxe | 19 | 25 | 165 |
| Dwarven Battleaxe | 20 | 23 | 300 |
| Elven Battleaxe | 21 | 24 | 520 |
| Honed Ancient Nord Battle Axe | 21 | 25 | 50 |
| Nord Hero Battle Axe | 21 | 20 | 300 |
| Nordic Battleaxe | 21 | 23 | 650 |
| Skyforge Steel Battleaxe | 21 | 21 | 150 |
| Glass Battleaxe | 22 | 25 | 900 |
| Ebony Battleaxe | 23 | 26 | 1585 |
| Stalhrim Battleaxe | 24 | 25 | 2150 |
| Daedric Battleaxe | 25 | 27 | 2750 |
| Dragonbone Battleaxe | 26 | 30 | 3000 |
Tips and notes
- Tempered with a Steel Ingot; the Steel Smithing perk doubles the improvement.
- After completing Glory of the Dead you can turn one into a Nord Hero Battle Axe at the Skyforge.
- Related versions: Honed Ancient Nord Battle Axe and the enchanted unique Drainblood Battleaxe.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record DraugrBattleAxe). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.