Skyrim - Warhammers

Warhammers hit harder than anything else in Skyrim, up to 29 damage across 25 weapons, and they carry Skullcrusher, which ignores 25, 50 or 75 per cent of the target's armour. That combination of the highest base damage with the only scaling penetration perk makes this the highest ceiling class in the game against an armoured target.

Combat

Where it wins

• Highest damage per hit of any weapon class. Madness Warhammer reaches 29, three above the best greatsword.
• Skullcrusher's armour penetration is multiplicative, so it grows with the wielder's damage instead of shrinking against it, exactly like Bone Breaker one tier down.
• Highest stagger of any weapon class, which interrupts most enemies outright.
• The class holds Stendarr's Hammer at 28 and Volendrung, both artefact weapons above their material tier.

Where it loses

• Slowest weapon in the game by a wide margin. Damage per second is the worst of the two-handed classes despite the best damage per hit.
• Skullcrusher does nothing against enemies with no armour rating, which is most of what a Nordic ruin holds.
• Heaviest class to carry. Stendarr's Hammer weighs 100, nearly three times the next heaviest warhammer.
• The slow swing means a missed power attack costs more than it does with any other weapon.

Builds

A warhammer build is the anti-armour build, and it is the two-handed class that most needs stamina management.

• Barbarian to 5, then Champion's Stance at 20. The stamina discount matters more here than anywhere else.
• Skullcrusher to 3. Like Bone Breaker it improves as the damage climbs, so it is worth finishing.
• Carry a greatsword for ruins. Skullcrusher's dead zone against draugr and automatons is the same problem maces have.
• Where the next chunk of damage comes from: Fortify Two-Handed and smithing, both multiplied by Skullcrusher rather than competing with it.

Best Warhammers

Weapon	Image	Damage	Weight	Value	Why Take It
Madness Warhammer		29	34	4600	29 damage, the highest of any weapon in the game, from the Saints & Seducers Creation.
Dragonbone Warhammer		28	33	4275	28 damage, the strongest warhammer forgeable in the base game.
Stendarr's Hammer		28	100	4575	28 damage, but it weighs 100 and drains 20 stamina from the wielder on every hit.
Amber Warhammer		28	29	4475	Highest in class at 28 damage.
Daedric Warhammer		27	31	4000	Highest in class at 27 damage.

Notes

• Skullcrusher makes warhammer attacks ignore 25, 50 or 75 per cent of the target's armour rating at 30, 60 and 90 Two-Handed.
• It has no effect on an enemy with no armour rating, so it is dead against skeletons, most draugr and Dwarven automatons.
• Warhammers have the highest stagger in the game, which is often worth more in practice than the raw damage.
• Warmaster at 100 Two-Handed gives backwards power attacks a 25 per cent chance to paralyse.

Unique Warhammers

Volendrung is a Dwarven warhammer and a Daedric artifact of Malacath. The Orcs of Largashbur ask for help during The Cursed Tribe. The hero takes Shagrol's Warhammer back from a giant and places it on Malacath's shrine. Malacath then turns the hammer into Volendrung. Each hit absorbs fifty points of Stamina from the target.

The Longhammer belonged to the bandit Rahd. It lies beside his body deep in Liar's Retreat, where the Falmer killed him. It is an Orcish warhammer that swings faster than a normal one.

Aegisbane is the ancestral iron warhammer of Clan Shatter-Shield in Windhelm. The bandit Alain Dufont stole it from the family. Defeating him in the Dwarven ruin of Raldbthar during Mourning Never Comes recovers the hammer. Its enchantment adds frost damage and slows the target.

Trollsbane was the signature hammer of the troll hunter Frofnir Trollsbane. It lies on his body in a troll den in the Reach, between Cradle Stone Tower and Valthume. Its fire enchantment works only against trolls.

Add-on and Creation Hammers

The Dawnguard DLC adds the Dawnguard Rune Hammer. It is a reward from the Dawnguard quest Lost Relic. A bash with the hammer places a Fire Rune on the ground. The Dawnguard Warhammer is the plain faction hammer of the vampire hunters.

The Dragonborn DLC adds the Champion's Cudgel. General Falx Carius wields it at Fort Frostmoth on Solstheim. The hammer is taken from him after his defeat in the quest March of the Dead.

Two Creations add famous warhammers. Stendarr's Hammer sits in the Dwemer Museum in Markarth and must be stolen from it. Entering the museum without Calcelmo's permission is a crime. Akatosh's Talon comes from Battle of the Champions in the Civil War Champions Creation. It carries a strong fire enchantment.

Forging and Upgrades

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

Every metal above Iron needs its Smithing perk before a warhammer can be forged from it. Steel Smithing covers Steel. The heavy branch opens Dwarven, Orcish, Ebony and Daedric, and the light branch opens Elven and Glass. Dragon Armor at the top of the tree opens the Dragonbone Warhammer.

Warhammers are improved at a Grindstone with one ingot of their metal per step. The matching Smithing perk makes each improvement much stronger. Enchanted hammers such as Aegisbane also need the Arcane Blacksmith perk first. Stendarr's Hammer needs an Ebony Ingot and a Flawless Sapphire for each improvement.

Enchanting Warhammers

Warhammers take the same enchantments as any other weapon. Each hit uses some of the stored charge, and a filled soul gem restores it. New effects are learned by disenchanting other weapons that carry them.

A warhammer swings slowly, so it lands fewer enchanted hits than faster weapons. Aegisbane shows one useful pairing for a slow weapon, since its enchantment adds frost damage and slows the target.

Charge still runs down over time, so an enchanted hammer needs regular soul gems. The Destruction perks Augmented Flames, Augmented Frost and Augmented Shock raise the damage of elemental weapon enchantments. A two-handed fighter who also takes these Destruction perks deals more enchantment damage with every blow.

All Warhammers

Name	Image	Damage	Speed	Weight	Value	Enchantment	Item ID	Level	Upgrade Material	Crafting Perk	Skill	Unique	DLC
Aegisbane		18	0.6	24	180	Target takes 5 points of Frost damage to Health and Stamina	000D2AFE	1+	Iron Ingot	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Champion's Cudgel		24	0.6	27	1767	50% chance for each element of fire, frost and shock to do 25 points of damage	XX01A578	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Dragonborn
Daedric Warhammer		27	0.6	31	4000	Enchantable	000139BA	47+	Ebony Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Dawnguard Warhammer		22	0.6	26	110	Enchantable	000139BA	47+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Dawnguard
Dawnguard Rune Hammer		22	0.6	26	500	Bashing places a rune on a nearby surface; the rune explodes for 50 points of fire damage when enemies come in contact	000139BA	47+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Dawnguard
Dragonbone Warhammer		28	0.6	33	4275	Enchantable	XX014FD0	47+	Dragon Bone	Dragon Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Dawnguard
Dwarven Warhammer		22	0.6	27	325	Enchantable	0001399A	13+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Ebony Warhammer		25	0.6	30	1725	Enchantable	000139B2	36+	Ebony Ingot	Ebony Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Elven Warhammer		23	0.6	28	565	Enchantable	000139A2	19+	Refined Moonstone	Elven Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Glass Warhammer		24	0.6	29	985	Enchantable	000139AA	27+	Refined Malachite	Glass Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Iron Warhammer		18	0.6	24	60	Enchantable	00013981	1+	Iron Ingot	None	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Nordic Warhammer		23	0.6	27	700	Enchantable	XX01CDB3	26+	Quicksilver Ingot	Advanced Armors	Two-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Orcish Warhammer		21	0.6	26	180	Enchantable	00013992	1+	Orichalcum Ingot	Orcish Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
Shagrol's Warhammer		21	0.6	26	200	Cannot be enchanted	000223FB	1+	Orichalcum Ingot	Orcish Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Stalhrim Warhammer		26	0.6	29	2850	Frost Enchants are 25% stronger	XX01CDBA	35+	Stalhrim	Ebony Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Dragonborn
Steel Warhammer		20	0.6	25	110	Enchantable	0001398A	2+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Skyrim
The Longhammer		21	0.6	18	90	Can be swung 30% Faster than a regular warhammer	000AE085	1+	Orichalcum Ingot	Orcish Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Trollsbane		20	0.6	25	121	Burns Trolls for 15 points	0006AF63	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Volendrung		25	0.6	26	1843	Absorb 50 points of Stamina	0002ACD2	1+	Ebony Ingot	None	Two-Handed	Yes	Skyrim
Ancient Nord Warhammer		20	0.6	26	42	Enchantable	XX000E47	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Honed Ancient Nord Warhammer		23	0.6	29	76	Enchantable	XX08A1EF	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Nord Hero Warhammer		23	0.6	24	350	Enchantable	XX08A1E6	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Stendarr's Hammer		28	0.6	100	4575	Damages the target for 22 points. Depletes 20 Stamina from wielder per hit	FEXXXD62	1+	Ebony Ingot, Flawless Sapphire	Ebony Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Akatosh's Talon		27	0.6	31	4832	Burns the target for 50 points. Targets on fire take extra damage	FEXXXD62	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Two-Handed	Yes	Creation Club
Madness Warhammer		29	0.6	34	4600	Enchantable	XX000BEB	1+	Madness Ingot	Quest	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club
Amber Warhammer		28	0.6	29	4475	Enchantable	XX000BE2	1+	Amber Ingot	Quest	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club
Dark Warhammer		23	0.6	26	620	Enchantable	XX000828	1+	Quicksilver Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club
Golden Warhammer		24	1	26	620	Enchantable	XX000809	1+	Gold Ingot	Daedric Smithing	Two-Handed	-	Creation Club

Two-Handed Weapon Categories