The Glass Sword is a one-handed blade made from 
refined malachite and 
refined moonstone. Despite the name it won’t shatter on the first draugr skull you hit; glass in Tamriel is a sturdy volcanic material, and this sword deals 12 base damage while weighing 14.
In the material tiers it sits above elven and below ebony, which makes it a natural mid-to-late game upgrade for one-handed fighters. It pairs nicely with Glass Armor if you like your adventurer to sparkle a little in the sunlight.
Stats
| Type | Sword |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Glass |
| Damage | 12 |
| Weight | 14 |
| Value | 410 gold |
| Speed | 1 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.75 |
| Critical damage | 6 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 000139A9 |
Where to find
- Unenchanted glass swords start turning up around level 27, enchanted ones around level 28, and with a bit of luck as early as level 16.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Carried by various characters and enemies.
- Random loot in chests and as world items across Skyrim.
- A possible gift from Ulfric Stormcloak or General Tullius during the Civil War questline.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 1 × Refined Moonstone, 1 × Refined Malachite, 1 × 
Leather Strips. Requires the Glass Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Refined Malachite. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other swords
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) swords in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Sword | 7 | 9 | 25 |
| Ancient Nord Sword | 8 | 12 | 13 |
| Imperial Sword | 8 | 10 | 23 |
| Silver Sword | 8 | 7 | 100 |
| Steel Sword | 8 | 10 | 23 |
| Orcish Sword | 9 | 11 | 75 |
| Dwarven Sword | 10 | 12 | 135 |
| Falmer Sword | 10 | 18 | 67 |
| Forsworn Sword | 10 | 13 | 70 |
| Blades Sword | 11 | 10 | 300 |
| Elven Sword | 11 | 13 | 235 |
| Honed Ancient Nord Sword | 11 | 15 | 23 |
| Nord Hero Sword | 11 | 9 | 135 |
| Nordic Sword | 11 | 12 | 290 |
| Scimitar | 11 | 10 | 5 |
| Skyforge Steel Sword | 11 | 10 | 70 |
| Glass Sword | 12 | 14 | 410 |
| Honed Falmer Sword | 12 | 18 | 205 |
| Ebony Sword | 13 | 15 | 720 |
| Stalhrim Sword | 13 | 14 | 985 |
| Daedric Sword | 14 | 16 | 1250 |
| Dragonbone Sword | 15 | 19 | 1500 |
Tips and notes
- Forging one needs Smithing 70 and the Glass Smithing perk; the same perk doubles improvements at the grindstone.
- Two unique glass blades share its family: Chillrend, hidden in Riftweald Manor in Riften, and Grimsever, found in Mzinchaleft and meant to be returned to Mjoll the Lioness.
- At 410 gold base value, spare glass swords are a decent way to fund your next ingot run.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record GlassSword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
