The Iron Greatsword is the starter two-hander of Skyrim and one of the most common weapons around. Its 15 base damage is the bottom rung of the greatsword ladder, but it is cheap, easy to make and available from the very first hours.
Pair it with Iron Armor for the classic fresh-off-the-cart look, then replace it as soon as better steel turns up.
Stats
| Type | Greatsword |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Iron |
| Damage | 15 |
| Weight | 16 |
| Value | 50 gold |
| Speed | 0.7 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.1 |
| Critical damage | 7 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0001359D |
Where to find
- Both enchanted and unenchanted versions can appear from level 1.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Wielded by many characters and enemies, and found as random loot or lying around the world.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 4 × 
Iron Ingot, 2 × 
Leather Strips.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Iron 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
- No Smithing perk is required: four Iron Ingots and two Leather Strips at any forge.
- Tempered with an Iron Ingot, but no perk boosts the improvement.
- Enchanted early copies are worth grabbing to learn enchantments by disenchanting them.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record IronGreatsword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.