The Ebony Bow is one of the strongest standard bows in Skyrim, with 17 base damage and a value of 1440. It sits near the top of the material tiers, below only Daedric and Dragonbone bows, and its dark, sharp look matches Ebony Armor.
Archers usually meet it first from the wrong end, courtesy of a draugr deathlord in some forgotten crypt.
Stats
| Type | Bow |
|---|---|
| Skill | Archery |
| Material | Ebony |
| Damage | 17 |
| Weight | 16 |
| Value | 1440 gold |
| Speed | 0.56 |
| Stagger | 0 |
| Critical damage | 8 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 000139AD |
Where to find
- Unenchanted versions appear from level 36, enchanted ones from level 37 (it can occasionally show up as early as level 15).
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants, and found as random loot.
- Carried by draugr deathlords and draugr death overlords.
- Fixed: on a draugr deathlord in Lost Valkygg at Labyrinthian, together with 16–18 ebony arrows.
- With Dragonborn, Falas Selvayn sells it from level 1.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 3 × 
Ebony Ingot. Requires the Ebony 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
- Needs Smithing 80 and the Ebony Smithing perk; the recipe is just three Ebony Ingots.
- Tempered with an Ebony Ingot; Ebony Smithing doubles the improvement.
- The early purchase from Falas Selvayn is a classic shortcut for low-level archers.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record EbonyBow). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
