The Iron War Axe is about as basic as Skyrim weapons get, and that is exactly its charm. It deals 8 base damage, weighs 11 and is one of the most common weapons in the game. For many players it is also the very first weapon they pick up, during the escape at the very start of the game.
As part of the iron tier it sits at the bottom of the material ladder and is quickly outgrown, but it does the job while you find your feet. Pair it with Iron Armor for the classic new-adventurer look.
Stats
| Type | War Axe |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Iron |
| Damage | 8 |
| Weight | 11 |
| Value | 30 gold |
| Speed | 0.9 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 0.85 |
| Critical damage | 4 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00013790 |
Where to find
- Both enchanted and unenchanted iron war axes are available from level 1.
- Sold by blacksmiths and other merchants.
- Wielded by many characters and enemies, and found as random loot or world items.
- Fixed: on the body of Gunjar at the start of the game, if you follow Ralof through Helgen.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 2 × 
Iron Ingot, 2 × 
Leather Strips.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Iron 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
- Forging needs no perk at all: two Iron Ingots and two Leather Strips. That makes it a cheap filler for early Smithing practice.
- Temper it with an Iron Ingot; no Smithing perk boosts the improvement.
- Variant: the Lunar Iron War Axe.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record IronWarAxe). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
