The Elven War Axe is the one-handed axe of the elven tier, between dwarven and glass. It deals 12 base damage, weighs 15 and is worth 280 gold, which makes it a comfortable mid-game option for dual-wielders and sword-and-board fighters alike.
It shares the curved, golden look of other elven weapons and is often associated with the Thalmor, who seem to like their axes as sleek as their robes. It pairs well with Elven Armor.
Stats
| Type | War Axe |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Elven |
| Damage | 12 |
| Weight | 15 |
| Value | 280 gold |
| Speed | 0.9 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.85 |
| Critical damage | 6 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0001399B |
Where to find
- Leveled loot from level 19 (unenchanted) and level 20 (enchanted): merchants, enemies, chests and world items.
- Thalmor Justiciars usually carry one.
- One hangs on a weapon plaque in Mistveil Keep in Riften.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 1 × 
Iron Ingot, 1 × 
Refined Moonstone, 2 × 
Leather Strips, 1 × 
Quicksilver Ingot. Requires the Elven Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Refined Moonstone. 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
- Forging needs Smithing 30 and Elven Smithing; the perk doubles the improvement when tempered with Refined Moonstone.
- Same base damage as the Nord Hero War Axe, which is lighter.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record ElvenWarAxe). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
