The Steel Greatsword is a long, heavy two-hander made of good old Nord steel. With 17 base damage and a weight of 17, it is one of the first real upgrades for anyone who wants to solve problems with big swings rather than clever words.
Steel is the step right after iron in Skyrim’s material tiers, so this blade shows up early and stays useful for a while. It matches the Steel Armor and Steel Plate Armor sets, and its leather-wrapped ricasso gives it a distinctly Zweihänder look.
Stats
| Type | Greatsword |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Steel |
| Damage | 17 |
| Weight | 17 |
| Value | 90 gold |
| Speed | 0.7 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.1 |
| Critical damage | 8 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00013987 |
Where to find
- Unenchanted versions appear from level 2, enchanted ones from level 3.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Wielded by many characters and enemies.
- Random loot in chests and lying around as world items.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 2 × 
Iron Ingot, 3 × 
Leather Strips, 4 × 
Steel Ingot. Requires the Steel Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Steel 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
- Needs the Steel Smithing perk to forge, and that perk also doubles grindstone improvements.
- The Skyforge Steel Greatsword is a possible reward from the Companions quest Proving Honor.
- Stormfang from the Dragonborn add-on is a unique variant.
- You can spot the sword on a loading screen, held by a Nord in steel plate armor. Some fans also see a resemblance to the blade from Conan the Barbarian.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record SteelGreatsword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.