Daedric Bow

The top-tier Daedric bow: 19 base damage and a demonic recurve design, forged at Smithing 90 or found from level 46.

The Daedric Bow is the peak of the base game’s material bows, with 19 base damage – four more than the Glass Bow and two more than Ebony. The trade-off is weight (18) and the slowest draw of the standard bows, so every shot feels deliberate.

It follows a recurve design, with the tips curving away from the archer, and it is unmistakably Daedric: black, angular and bristling with spikes. Pair it with Daedric Armor and you will look like something that crawled out of Oblivion to collect a debt.

Stats

Type Bow
Skill Archery
Material Daedric
Damage 19
Weight 18
Value 2500 gold
Speed 0.5
Stagger 0
Critical damage 9
Add-on Base game
Item ID 000139B5

Where to find

  • Unenchanted Daedric bows appear from level 46, enchanted ones from level 47, though rarely. Revered and Legendary dragons may drop enchanted ones.
  • From level 47, Niranye in Windhelm (once she fences for you) and Tonilia in Riften often sell them.
  • After level 47, one lies by a dead archer in Brood Cavern, and one may sit on Syndus’ counter in the Ragged Flagon.
  • The Dremora Merchant summoned with Black Market (Dragonborn) can sell one.

Crafting and upgrading

Crafting at a forge: 3 × Ebony Ingot, 1 × Daedra Heart. Requires the Daedric Smithing Smithing perk.

Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Ebony Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.

Compared with other bows

Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) bows in Skyrim, weakest first:

Weapon Damage Weight Value
Long Bow 6 5 30
Hunting Bow 7 7 50
Ancient Nord Bow 8 12 45
Imperial Bow 9 8 90
Orcish Bow 10 9 150
Nord Hero Bow 11 7 200
Dwarven Bow 12 10 270
Falmer Bow 12 15 135
Forsworn Bow 12 11 145
Elven Bow 13 12 470
Nordic Bow 13 11 580
Supple Ancient Nord Bow 14 18 235
Falmer Supple Bow 15 20 410
Glass Bow 15 14 820
Ebony Bow 17 16 1440
Stalhrim Bow 17 15 1800
Daedric Bow 19 18 2500
Dragonbone Bow 20 20 2725

Tips and notes

  • Forging needs Smithing 90 and Daedric Smithing: three Ebony Ingots and one Daedra Heart. Temper with an Ebony Ingot.
  • The Atronach Forge can also make one, but you need a Sigil Stone from the Conjuration Ritual Spell (Conjuration 90) plus a Daedra Heart, an Ebony Bow, a Centurion Dynamo Core and a Black Soul Gem.

Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record DaedricBow). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.

Quest reward from

Characters linked to this weapon

Niranye in Skyrim: Altmer general goods merchant at Windhelm’s market who fences stolen goods for the Thieves Guild once Summerset Shadows is complete.
Syndus in Skyrim: the Bosmer Thieves Guild fletcher who sells weapons and armour in the Ragged Flagon under Riften after Delvin’s first influence job.
Tonilia in Skyrim: the Redguard Thieves Guild fence in Riften’s Ragged Flagon who buys stolen goods and hands out and upgrades your guild armour.

Where it appears

Brood Cavern in Skyrim: small bear den southwest of Morthal with a hidden waterfall chest, iron and corundum ore and The Black Arrow, Book II on a dead hunter.
Riften is the canal city of the Rift – autumn forests, the Black-Briar family, the Temple of Mara and the Thieves Guild beneath its streets.
Windhelm is the ancient, snow-covered capital of Eastmarch and the Stormcloak stronghold – home of Ulfric Stormcloak’s Palace of the Kings and the Gray Quarter.
Sources checked: Skyrim game files (WEAP + COBJ records), Fandom Elder Scrolls wiki

Daedric Bow

Type
Material
Damage
19
Weight
18
Value
2500 gold
Enchantment
Upgrade with
Smithing perk
Arcane Blacksmith, Daedric Smithing
How to get
Crafted, Looted, Bought
Where

Forge it at Smithing 90 with Daedric Smithing, or find or buy one from about level 46-47.

Game
Item ID
000139B5