Skyrim - Battleaxes

Battleaxes are the middle two-handed class, up to 27 damage across 24 weapons, and they carry Limbsplitter, the bleeding perk. They swing slower than a greatsword and faster than a warhammer, and the bleed is what separates them from both.

Combat

Where it wins

• Bleeding damage is applied after armour, so a battleaxe keeps working against armoured targets without needing a penetration perk.
• One more damage per swing than a greatsword of the same material.
• Two-handed reach with a damage-over-time effect suits fighting a small number of tough enemies rather than a crowd.

Where it loses

• Bleed does nothing to bloodless enemies, which puts skeletons, draugr and Dwarven automatons outside the class perk entirely.
• Slower than a greatsword without reaching a warhammer's damage, so the class is the compromise rather than the specialist at either end.
• The bleed is wasted on anything that dies to the swing, which is most of what a late game two-hander meets.
• Narrower arc than a greatsword, so Sweep gets less out of it.

Builds

A battleaxe build wants long fights, the same as a war axe build one tier down.

• Barbarian to 5, then Champion's Stance at 20.
• Limbsplitter to 3 only for a character who fights bosses and armoured enemies rather than clearing draugr barrows.
• Devastating Blow at 50 is worth more than the third rank of Limbsplitter for most characters, at 25 per cent on standing power attacks.
• Where the next chunk of damage comes from: smithing. The bleed is fixed and does not scale, so raising base damage is what moves the number.

Best Battleaxes

Weapon	Image	Damage	Weight	Value	Why Take It
Tsun's Battleaxe		27	36	1000	27 damage, tied for the class ceiling, and it cannot be obtained without console commands in an unmodified game.
Madness Battleaxe		27	31	3300	27 damage from the Saints & Seducers Creation.
Dragonbone Battleaxe		26	30	3000	Highest in class at 26 damage.
Shadowrend (Battleaxe)		26	27	2750	Highest in class at 26 damage.

Notes

• Limbsplitter adds bleeding damage to battleaxe attacks at 30, 60 and 90 Two-Handed, in three ranks.
• Bleeding is not reduced by armour, and it is not applied to bloodless enemies at all.
• Champion's Stance at 20 cuts power attack stamina by 25 per cent, which every two-handed class needs.
• The three two-handed class perks divide the same way the one-handed ones do: crit for the sword shape, armour ignore for the hammer, bleed for the axe.

Unique Battleaxes

Wuuthrad is the axe of Ysgramor, the legendary leader of the Five Hundred Companions. At the start of the game it lies in fragments. Eorlund Gray-Mane reforges it during Glory of the Dead, the Companions quest that ends in Ysgramor's Tomb. The axe deals extra damage to elves, including High Elves, Wood Elves, Dark Elves and the Falmer.

The Headsman's Axe is carried by Ahtar, who uses it at the execution of Roggvir in Solitude. The headsman at Helgen carries one too, in the opening scene. The weapon is the longest in the game, and its extra reach helps it catch more than one enemy in a swing.

The Rueful Axe comes from the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile. During A Daedra's Best Friend, it is found with the wizard Sebastian Lort. Vile once gave it to him when he begged for a cure for his daughter's lycanthropy. Vile offers the axe as a reward for killing his dog, Barbas.

The Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls rests on the back of Warlord Gathrik's throne in Ironbind Barrow. Its enchantment, Fiery Soul Trap, burns the target and traps its soul if it dies soon after. The Woodsman's Friend is an Iron Battleaxe found beside a dead woodcutter in Falkreath Hold.

Ghostly draugr in Labyrinthian carry translucent phantom weapons. They appear during The Staff of Magnus, the College of Winterhold quest. The Drainblood Battleaxe is one of them, a honed Ancient Nord battleaxe. It belongs to a small set of ghost weapons with the Drainheart Sword, the Drainspell Bow and Ghostblade.

Creation Battleaxes

The Civil War Champions Creation adds Tsun's Judgement. It is the battleaxe of the Stormcloak champion in Battle of the Champions. Its enchantment deals heavy frost damage and slows the target. A hero on the Imperial side takes it from the defeated champion.

Shadowrend is a Daedric artifact that switches between a greatsword and a battleaxe. It appears in the hot springs of Eastmarch near the Atronach Stone. Claiming it starts the quest Through a Glass, Darkly. The battleaxe form has the same enchantment but stats that suit a heavier weapon.

Both of these weapons carry enchantments. They need the Arcane Blacksmith perk before they can be improved at a Grindstone.

Forging and Upgrades

Forged battleaxes follow the usual metals. Iron, Steel, Orcish, Dwarven, Elven, Glass, Ebony and Daedric come from the base game. The Dawnguard DLC adds the Dragonbone Battleaxe, and the Dragonborn DLC adds the Stalhrim Battleaxe and the Nordic Battleaxe.

Two Companion battleaxes come from the Skyforge in Whiterun. The Nord Hero Battle Axe can be forged there after Glory of the Dead. The Skyforge Steel Battleaxe is sold by Eorlund Gray-Mane.

Battleaxes are improved at a Grindstone with one ingot of their metal per step. Every metal above Iron needs its Smithing perk before a battleaxe can be forged from it. The matching perk also makes each improvement much stronger.

All Battleaxes

Name	Image	Damage	Speed	Weight	Value	Enchantment	Item ID	Level	Upgrade Material	Crafting Perk	Skill	Unique	DLC
Ancient Nord Battleaxe		18	0.7	22	28	Enchantable	0001CB64	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Daedric Battleaxe		25	0.7	27	2750	Enchantable	000139B4	47+	Ebony Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Dragonbone Battleaxe		26	0.7	30	3000	Enchantable	XX014FC3	47+	Dragon Bone	Dragon Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Dawnguard
Drainblood Battleaxe		21	0.7	5	266	Absorb 15 points of health	000F82FA	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Dwarven Battleaxe		20	0.7	23	300	Enchantable	00013994	12+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Ebony Battleaxe		23	0.7	26	1585	Enchantable	000139AC	36+	Ebony Ingot	Ebony Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Elven Battleaxe		21	0.7	24	520	Enchantable	0001399C	19+	Refined Moonstone	Elven Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Glass Battleaxe		22	0.7	25	900	Enchantable	000139A4	27+	Refined Malachite	Glass Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Headsman's Axe		17	0.7	11	15	Enchantable	000BE25E	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Honed Ancient Nord Battleaxe		21	0.7	25	50	Enchantable	0005BF12	1+	Steel Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Iron Battleaxe		16	0.7	20	55	Enchantable	00013980	1+	Iron Ingot	None	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Nord Hero Battleaxe		21	0.7	20	300	Enchantable	00068C79	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Nordic Battleaxe		21	0.7	23	650	Enchantable	XX01CDAD	26+	Quicksilver Ingot	Advanced Armors	Two-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Orcish Battleaxe		19	0.7	25	165	Enchantable	0001398C	7+	Orichalcum Ingot	Orcish Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Skyforge Steel Battleaxe		21	0.7	21	150	Enchantable	0009F25F	2+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Stalhrim Battleaxe		24	0.7	25	2150	Frost Enchants are 25% stronger	XX01CDB8	35+	Stalhrim	Ebony Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls		18	0.7	21	320	If target dies within 5 seconds, fills a soul gem. Burns the target for 10 points. Targets on fire take extra damage	00040002	2+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Steel Battleaxe		18	0.7	21	100	Enchantable	00013984	2+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Rueful Axe		22	0.7	10	1183	Does 20 points of Stamina damage	0001C4E6	1+	Ebony Ingot	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
The Woodsman's Friend		17	0.7	20	28	Cannot be enchanted	00022265	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Tsun's Battleaxe		27	0.7	36	1000	Cannot be enchanted	0005BF18	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Wuuthrad		25	0.7	25	2000	Does 1.2x Damage to Elves	000956B5	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Shadowrend (Battleaxe)		26	0.6	27	2750	Target is 15% weaker to magic for 30 seconds	FEXXXD62	1+	Ebony Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Headman's Cleaver		25	0.6	24	2900	Enchantable	FEXXX803	1+	Orichalcum Ingot	Orcish Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Madness Battleaxe		27	0.7	31	3300	Enchantable	XX000BE4	1+	Madness Ingot	Quest	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club
Amber Battleaxe		26	0.7	24	1600	Enchantable	XX000BDB	1+	Amber Ingot	Quest	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club
Dark Battleaxe		21	0.7	22	575	Enchantable	XX000839	1+	Quicksilver Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club
Golden Battleaxe		22	1	22	575	Enchantable	XX000810	1+	Gold Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club

Two-Handed Weapon Categories