The Dwarven War Axe is a compact, bronze-hued axe made from Dwemer metal. It deals 11 base damage and weighs 14, putting it squarely in the middle of the one-handed axe range: better than steel or Orcish, but behind Elven and Glass.
Its recipe is a bit of a scrap-metal salad, needing a 
Dwarven metal ingot, a 
steel ingot, an 
iron ingot and leather strips. That makes it cheap to forge for anyone raiding Dwemer ruins, and a good match for Dwarven Armor.
Stats
| Type | War Axe |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Dwarven |
| Damage | 11 |
| Weight | 14 |
| Value | 165 gold |
| Speed | 0.9 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.85 |
| Critical damage | 6 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00013993 |
Where to find
- Unenchanted versions begin appearing at level 12, enchanted ones at level 13.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Wielded by various characters and enemies.
- Found as random loot in chests and as world items around Skyrim, so mid-level dungeon runs will often turn one up.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 1 × Steel Ingot, 1 × Dwarven Metal Ingot, 2 × 
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 war axes
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) war axes in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron War Axe | 8 | 11 | 30 |
| Ancient Nord War Axe | 9 | 14 | 15 |
| Steel War Axe | 9 | 12 | 55 |
| Orcish War Axe | 10 | 13 | 90 |
| Dawnguard War Axe | 11 | 13 | 55 |
| Dwarven War Axe | 11 | 14 | 165 |
| Falmer War Axe | 11 | 21 | 82 |
| Forsworn Axe | 11 | 15 | 90 |
| Elven War Axe | 12 | 15 | 280 |
| Honed Draugr War Axe | 12 | 16 | 27 |
| Nord Hero War Axe | 12 | 11 | 165 |
| Nordic War Axe | 12 | 14 | 350 |
| Skyforge Steel War Axe | 12 | 12 | 80 |
| Glass War Axe | 13 | 16 | 490 |
| Honed Falmer War Axe | 13 | 21 | 245 |
| Daedric War Axe | 15 | 18 | 1500 |
| Ebony War Axe | 15 | 17 | 865 |
| Stalhrim War Axe | 15 | 16 | 1180 |
| Dragonbone War Axe | 16 | 21 | 1700 |
Tips and notes
- Improve it at a grindstone with a Dwarven metal ingot; Dwarven Smithing doubles the improvement.
- Forging it needs Smithing 30 and the Dwarven Smithing perk.
- Dual-wielders can pair it with a Dwarven Sword or Dwarven Mace for a matching set.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record DwarvenWarAxe). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.