The Dwarven Sword is a short, sturdy blade made from Dwemer metal. It deals 10 base damage and weighs 12, sitting comfortably between steel and elven gear in the mid-game. Its design has been compared to the sword of Roman foot soldiers.
Forging one needs Smithing 30 and the Dwarven Smithing perk, and the recipe is light on materials. Explorers who spend their days in Dwemer ruins tend to end up with one sooner or later, which makes it a natural partner for Dwarven Armor.
Stats
| Type | Sword |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Dwarven |
| Damage | 10 |
| Weight | 12 |
| Value | 135 gold |
| Speed | 1 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.75 |
| Critical damage | 5 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00013999 |
Where to find
- Leveled loot, merchants and enemies from level 12 (enchanted from level 13).
- Mzinchaleft Gatehouse – on a stone table on the upper balcony of the final room.
- In a display case in the Dwemer Museum.
- Deep Folk Crossing – on a pedestal behind a Dwemer convector.
- Brinewater Grotto – in an open crate behind the boss chest.
- Irkngthand – on a table in the slave pens’ torture room.
- Underwater by a skeleton at the Aetherium Forge, and in Kagrumez.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 1 × 
Steel Ingot, 1 × 
Dwarven Metal Ingot, 1 × 
Leather Strips, 1 × 
Iron Ingot. Requires the Dwarven Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Dwarven Metal Ingot. 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
- Mercer Frey carries an enchanted Dwarven Sword of Devouring.
- Temper with a Dwarven Metal Ingot; Dwarven Smithing doubles the improvement.
- Recipe: one each of Dwarven metal, steel and iron ingots plus a leather strip – cheap Smithing practice.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record DwarvenSword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
