The Ebony Sword is, as one guard puts it, a sliver of midnight. The whole weapon is carved from ebony – thin along the blade, thick at the hilt – with swirling line patterns etched mostly along one side. It deals 13 base damage, weighs 15 and is worth a hefty 720 gold.
Ebony is one of the top heavy-armor tiers, needing Smithing 80 and the Ebony Smithing perk, sitting just below Daedric. Do not confuse it with the Daedric artifact Ebony Blade. Paired with Ebony Armor, it is a classic late-game warrior’s kit.
Stats
| Type | Sword |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Ebony |
| Damage | 13 |
| Weight | 15 |
| Value | 720 gold |
| Speed | 1 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.75 |
| Critical damage | 6 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 000139B1 |
Where to find
- Unenchanted versions appear from level 29, enchanted from level 37.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants, and found as random loot.
- Draugr deathlords and death overlords in Nordic tombs often carry ebony weapons – sometimes even at low levels.
- The death overlord at the end of Volskygge always has an ebony sword or war axe.
- Olaf One-Eye has an ebony sword or war axe at level 21.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 2 × 
Ebony Ingot, 1 × 
Leather Strips. Requires the Ebony Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Ebony 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
- Recipe: just 2 Ebony Ingots and 1 Leather Strips.
- Temper with an Ebony Ingot; Ebony Smithing doubles the improvement.
- Display bug: in a display case it sits off-centre with the handle poking out.
- Siblings: the Ebony War Axe and Ebony Dagger.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record EbonySword). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
