Skyrim - War Axes

War axes sit between swords and maces on damage, up to 17 across 33 weapons, and their class perk is the only one of the three that ignores armour entirely by going around it. Hack and Slash adds bleeding damage, which is applied over time and is not reduced by the target's armour rating.

Combat

Where it wins

• Bleeding damage bypasses armour without needing a penetration percentage, so a war axe keeps working against heavily armoured targets that blunt a sword.
• One more damage per swing than a sword of the same material, at effectively the same speed.
• Bleed keeps ticking after the swing, which suits a hit-and-move style and stacks while you back off.
• The class carries Okin and Boneshaver, both reachable well before their damage tier suggests.

Where it loses

• One below a mace on damage, and without the mace's scaling penetration.
• Bleed is a damage-over-time effect, so it is wasted on anything that dies to the swing itself, which is most of what you meet outside boss fights.
• Like Bone Breaker, Hack and Slash does nothing to bloodless enemies. Skeletons and automatons take no bleed at all.
• The class ceiling of 17 is below the weakest two-handed weapon in the game.

Builds

War axes are the middle option and are worth committing to when you fight long fights rather than short ones.

• Armsman to 5 first, as always.
• Hack and Slash to 3 if your fights last more than a few swings. Against trash that dies immediately the bleed never lands.
• Pair with Block, because bleed rewards surviving in melee longer rather than killing faster.
• Where the next chunk of damage comes from: the same smithing and enchanting loop as every one-hander. The bleed is a fixed addition and does not scale with it.

Best War Axes

Weapon	Image	Damage	Weight	Value	Why Take It
Madness War Axe		17	22	1900	17 damage and the class ceiling, from the Saints & Seducers Creation.
Dragonbone War Axe		16	21	1700	16 damage, the strongest war axe forgeable in the base game.
Amber War Axe		16	16	1800	16 damage, and it needs only Glass Smithing at 70 rather than Dragon at 100.
Daedric War Axe		15	18	1500	Highest in class at 15 damage.
Ebony War Axe		15	17	865	Highest in class at 15 damage.

Notes

• Hack and Slash adds bleeding damage to war axe attacks at 30, 60 and 90 One-Handed, in three increasing ranks.
• Bleeding damage is applied after armour, so it is not reduced by a heavily armoured target.
• Bloodless enemies take no bleed, which puts skeletons, draugr and Dwarven automatons outside the perk.
• War axes and maces share a swing speed; the sword is the faster of the three.

All War Axes

Name	Image	Damage	Speed	Weight	Value	Enchantment	Item ID	Level	Upgrade Material	Crafting Perk	Skill	Unique	DLC
Ancient Nord War Axe		9	0.9	14	15	Enchantable	0002C672	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Ancient Nordic Pickaxe		5	0.9	10	500	Enchantable	XX0398E6	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Balgruuf's War Axe		9	0.9	12	55	Cannot be enchanted	00013983	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Ceremonial Axe		9	0.9	14	5	Cannot be enchanted	0008ABFD	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Daedric War Axe		15	0.9	18	1500	Enchantable	000139B3	Level 47+	Ebony Ingot	Daedric Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Dawnguard Rune Axe		11	0.9	13	175	Does 10+ sun damage to undead where n is the number of undead killed with the axe since the last sunrise	XX01668C	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	Yes	Dawnguard
Dawnguard War Axe		11	0.9	13	55	Enchantable	XX00D098	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Dawnguard
Dragonbone War Axe		16	0.9	21	1700	Enchantable	XX014FCF	1+	Dragon Bone	Dragon Smithing	One-Handed	-	Dawnguard
Dwarven War Axe		11	0.9	14	165	Enchantable	00013993	12+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Ebony War Axe		15	0.9	17	865	Enchantable	000139AB	36+	Ebony Ingot	Ebony Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Elven War Axe		12	0.9	15	280	Enchantable	0001399B	19+	Refined Moonstone	Elven Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Falmer War Axe		11	0.9	21	82	Enchantable	000302CD	1+	Chaurus Chitin	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Forsworn Axe		11	0.9	15	90	Enchantable	000CC829	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Ghorbash's Ancestral Axe		8	0.9	11	30	Cannot be enchanted	0006A8FD	1+	Iron Ingot	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Glass War Axe		14	0.9	16	490	Enchantable	000139A3	Level 27+	Refined Malachite	Glass Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Hoarfrost		5	0.9	10	946	Target take 15 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina, and have a small chance of being frozen solid	XX0179C9	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Honed Draugr War Axe		11	0.9	16	27	Enchantable	0005BF15	1+	Steel Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Honed Falmer War Axe		13	0.9	21	245	Enchantable	0006F700	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Illusory War Axe		1	0.9	14	15	Cannot be enchanted	000E7A31	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Iron War Axe		8	0.9	11	30	Enchantable	00013790	1+	Iron Ingot	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Lunar Iron War Axe		8	0.9	11	163	While the moons are out, burns the target for 20 points	0003B0C7	Level 6+	Iron Ingot	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Lunar Steel War Axe		9	0.9	12	188	While the moons are out, burns the target for 20 points	0003B0BE	Level 8+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Nord Hero War Axe		12	0.9	11	165	Enchantable	00068C63	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Nordic War Axe		12	0.9	14	350	Enchantable	XX01CDB2	26+	Quicksilver Ingot	Advanced Armors	One-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Notched Pickaxe		5	0.9	10	303	Raises the wielder's Smithing abilities, and does 5 shock damage to enemies on hit	001019D4	1+	Iron Ingot	None	One-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Okin		12	0.9	11	320	Target takes 10 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina	0008FFDE	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Orcish War Axe		10	0.9	13	90	Enchantable	0001398B	Level 7+	Orichalcum Ingot	Orcish Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Pickaxe		5	0.9	10	5	Enchantable	000E3C16	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Poacher's Axe		5	0.9	10	32	3 points of extra damage to Animals	000AE086	1+	Steel Ingot	None	One-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Skyforge Steel War Axe		12	0.9	12	80	Enchantable	0009F260	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Stalhrim War Axe		15	0.9	16	1180	Frost Enchants are 25% stronger	XX01CDB9	35+	Stalhrim	Ebony Smithing	One-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Steel War Axe		9	0.9	12	55	Enchantable	00013983	2+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Ulfric's War Axe		9	0.9	12	55	Cannot be enchanted	00013983	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	One-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Woodcutter's Axe		5	0.9	10	5	Enchantable	0002F2F4	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	-	Skyrim
Irkngthand War Axe of Fire		13		16	699	Burns the target for 20 points. Targets on fire take extra damage.	XX0009D9	1+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	One-Handed	-	Creation Club
Irkngthand War Axe of Freezing		13		16	742	Target takes 20 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.	XX04D05E	1+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	One-Handed	-	Creation Club
Rocksplinter		1	1.3	10	5	Cannot be Enchanted	0006A707	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	One-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Madness War Axe		17	0.9	22	1900	Enchantable	XX000BEA	1+	Madness Ingot	Quest	One-Handed	-	Creation Club
Amber War Axe		16	0.9	16	1800	Enchantable	XX000BE1	1+	Amber Ingot	Quest	One-Handed	-	Creation Club
Dark War Axe		13	0.9	13	320	Enchantable	XX000829	1+	Quicksilver Ingot	Daedric Smithing	One-Handed	-	Creation Club
Golden War Axe		12	1	13	320	Enchantable	XX00080A	1+	Gold Ingot	Daedric Smithing	One-Handed	-	Creation Club
Cleaver of St. Felms		14	0.9	17	2508	Burns the target for 30 points. Targets on fire take extra damage. Absorb 25 points of magicka.	XX057384	1+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	One-Handed	Yes	Creation Club

One-Handed Weapon Categories