The Supple Ancient Nord Bow is the upgraded take on the regular Ancient Nord Bow, and the difference is large: 14 base damage instead of 8. That puts it in the same bracket as mid-to-high tier material bows, even though it comes off the back of a long-dead Nord.
It weighs 18 and draws faster than most heavy bows, which makes it a surprisingly good find for archers exploring barrows in the early and middle game. The catch is that it is stuck at its base stats, so it falls behind once you can temper your own gear.
Stats
| Type | Bow |
|---|---|
| Skill | Archery |
| Material | Ancient Nord |
| Damage | 14 |
| Weight | 18 |
| Value | 235 gold |
| Speed | 0.88 |
| Stagger | 0 |
| Critical damage | 7 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0005D179 |
Where to find
- Carried by draugr and skeleton archers, usually inside ancient Nordic tombs and burial grounds.
- It cannot be forged, so looting it from those archers is the way to get one.
Crafting and upgrading
This weapon cannot be crafted at a forge – you have to find, loot or buy it.
It cannot be improved at a grindstone.
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
- Unlike other improved draugr weapons, this bow cannot be tempered at a grindstone because of a bug.
- Since it can’t be improved, it is best treated as a strong early pickup or an enchanting base rather than an endgame bow.
- Fits the look of Ancient Nord Armor if you are going for a barrow-raider style.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record DraugrBowSupple). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.