Gauldur Blackbow

Gauldur Blackbow
Base Damage	14
Speed	0.875
Weight	18
Value	972
Level	36+
Category	Bow
Class	Ancient Nordic
Variants	Ancient Nord Bow, Drainspell Bow, Nord Hero Bow, Supple Ancient Nord Bow
Skill	Archery
Unique	Yes
Item ID	000F5D22
Game/DLC	Skyrim

The Gauldur Blackbow is the bow of Sigdis Gauldurson, one of the three sons of the ancient archmage Gauldur. It is an ancient Nord bow that steals magicka with every arrow. Sigdis carries it in his tomb deep inside Geirmund's Hall near Ivarstead, during the side quest Forbidden Legend.

Sigdis is a hard boss, and he uses the bow against anyone who wakes him. The Blackbow is one of three leveled weapons from the same legend. Mikrul Gauldurson carries the Gauldur Blackblade, and Jyrik Gauldurson carries a staff of his own.

Weapon Enchantment

Each arrow takes Magicka from the target. The amount scales with level, from 10 points at level 1 to 30 points at level 36 and above.

The Enchantment Effects page lists every weapon enchantment.

Level	Enchantment
1-11	Absorb 10 points of magicka
12-18	Absorb 15 points of magicka
19-26	Absorb 20 points of magicka
27-35	Absorb 25 points of magicka
36+	Absorb 30 points of magicka

Gauldur Blackbow Map Location and Quest Guide

Gauldur Blackbow map location:

The Gauldur Blackbow is carried by Sigdis Gauldurson in Geirmund's Hall. He is fought during Forbidden Legend.

1. Read Lost Legends or a Gauldur Amulet Fragment to begin Forbidden Legend.
2. Read Daynas Valen's journal and notes in Folgunthur.
3. Travel to Geirmund's Hall.
4. Defeat Sigdis Gauldurson and take the Gauldur Blackbow.

Map credit by Map Genie.

The Blackbow is leveled to the character.

Gameplay Tips and Tricks

• Temper it at a grindstone with a Steel Ingot. The Dwarven Smithing perk doubles the improvement.
• The strongest version only appears from level 36.

Smithing Guide

Enchanted weapons require the Arcane Blacksmith Perk to upgrade.

Upgrades

Gauldur Blackbow is improved at a grindstone with one Steel Ingot per improvement. The Dwarven Smithing perk doubles the improvement, so each quality tier needs less Smithing skill. An enchanted copy can only be improved with the Arcane Blacksmith perk.

Quality	Smithing	With Perk	Damage
Fine	14	14	+1
Superior	31	22	+3
Exquisite	65	40	+5
Flawless	100	57	+7
Epic	134	74	+8 to +9
Legendary	168	91	+10

Level	Upgrade Material	Smithing Level	Smithing Perk
1-11	Steel Ingot	-	Dwarven Smithing
12-18	Steel Ingot	-	Dwarven Smithing
19-26	Steel Ingot	-	Dwarven Smithing
27-35	Steel Ingot	-	Dwarven Smithing
36+	Steel Ingot	-	Dwarven Smithing

Weapon Levels

Some weapons in Skyrim are Levelled. The power of a levelled weapon is based on your charcters level when you get them. Some get stronger in both physical and magical aspects, while others only improve their enchantments. These items don't get better as your character levels up.

Gauldur Blackbow is leveled. Its damage and enchantment are set by the character's level when it is first picked up, and the strongest version comes at level 36 or higher.

Level	Damage	Weight	Value	Enchantment	Level ID
1-11	8	12	253	Absorb 10 points of magicka	000A5DEF
12-18	8	12	407	Absorb 15 points of magicka	000F5D1F
19-26	14	18	530	Absorb 20 points of magicka	000F5D20
27-35	14	18	750	Absorb 25 points of magicka	000F5D21
36+	14	18	972	Absorb 30 points of magicka	000F5D22

How It Plays

The Blackbow is a bow for a battlemage or a spellsword archer. Each arrow drains magicka from the target and feeds it to the archer. Against a mage, that means fewer spells coming back. For an archer who also casts, it means a steady trickle of magicka for wards, healing or Illusion spells between shots.

Its base damage is modest next to the best bows. The drain matters most against enemies who cast spells. Against wild beasts, the Blackbow plays like a plain ancient Nord bow.

Bow rankings still rate it well, though below the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate, which looks much the same. Guides call it an anti-mage weapon worth keeping, since so many enemies in Skyrim cast spells. The Archery Skill tree raises its modest damage. Overdraw raises bow damage, and Critical Shot adds critical hits.

Quest Background

The book Lost Legends tells what little survives of the story. Gauldur was a powerful archmage in the court of King Harald in the First Era. The book guesses that he was killed either by the king or by his three sons, Jyrik, Mikrul and Sigdis. The sons fled, with Harald's battlemage Lord Geirmund in pursuit.

The notes of Daynas Valen, a Dunmer scholar who died in Folgunthur, reveal the truth. The sons murdered their father and split his amulet between them. Sigdis was the last brother to fall. He finally slew Lord Geirmund, but died himself in the long battle. Geirmund's Hall became his tomb, sealed and guarded by Geirmund's own remains.

Geirmund's Hall begins with a long drop into an underground lake. A pillar puzzle, a hidden lever and a hall of swinging blades lead to a flooded chamber full of mist. Sigdis bursts from his coffin there and teleports between raised platforms. He conjures two copies of himself, which die in one hit. The real Sigdis wears a helm with horns that curl downward, and his copies glow blue.

Sigdis also uses Unrelenting Force to knock foes off their feet, and at higher levels he can disarm. Ranged attacks work best against him. With Sigdis dead, his body yields the Blackbow and a fragment of the Gauldur Amulet.

The Gauldur Amulet

Each brother carries one fragment of the amulet he helped steal. Mikrul guards his in Folgunthur. Jyrik lies in Saarthal, and his tomb is reached during the College of Winterhold quest Under Saarthal. Sigdis holds the third fragment in Geirmund's Hall. Each fragment is a working amulet on its own.

The three fragments meet again in Reachwater Rock, a cave hidden behind a waterfall in the Reach. Placing them on three pedestals wakes the ghosts of all three brothers, and each must be defeated once more. Sigdis repeats his old trick of teleporting and copying himself. When the last brother falls, Gauldur himself rises from his coffin and blasts his sons away. He then forges the fragments back into the Gauldur Amulet, which raises health, magicka and stamina together.

Ranged Weapon Categories

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• 

  Bows

• 

  Crossbows

All Unique Bows

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Name	Image	Damage	Speed	Weight	Value	Enchantment	Item ID	Level	Upgrade Material	Crafting Perk	Skill	DLC
Angi's Bow		7	0.937	7	50	Cannot be enchanted	000CC392	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Archery	Skyrim
Auriel's Bow		13	1	11	1000	21 points of sun damage. Undead targets take triple damage	XX000800	1+	Refined Moonstone	Elven Smithing	Archery	Dawnguard
Bow of the Hunt		10	0.937	7	434	Animals take 20 points of extra damage	000AB705	1+	Steel Ingot	Steel Smithing	Archery	Skyrim
Drainspell Bow		14	0.875	6	458	Absorb Magicka 15 points	000F82FC	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Archery	Skyrim
Dravin's Bow		7	0.937	7	50	Cannot be enchanted	0006B9AD	1+	Leather Strips	Steel Smithing	Archery	Skyrim
Dwarven Black Bow of Fate		13	0.75	10	1446	50% chance for each attribute to absorb 25 pts. of Health, Stamina, and/or Magicka	XX02C01A	1+	Ebony Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	Archery	Dragonborn
Firiniel's End		13	0.687	12	785	Target takes 20 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina	00017059	1+	Refined Moonstone	Elven Smithing	Archery	Skyrim
Froki's Bow		6	1	5	307	Does 10 points of Stamina damage	000C0186	1+	Iron Ingot	None	Archery	Skyrim
Gauldur Blackbow		14	0.875	18	972	Absorb 30 points of magicka	000F5D22	36+	Steel Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	Archery	Skyrim
Glass Bow of the Stag Prince		16	0.625	14	375	Wielder receives an increasingly powerful blessing for every 20 animals killed by the bow	XX018ED5	1+	Refined Malachite	Glass Smithing	Archery	Dragonborn
Karliah's Bow		25	0.625	9	5	Cannot be enchanted	000DEED8	1+	Cannot be Upgraded	None	Archery	Skyrim
Nightingale Bow		19	0.5	18	3405	Freezes the target for 30 points and shocks the target for 15 points	000F652C	46+	Ebony Ingot	None	Archery	Skyrim
Zephyr		12	1	10	670	Fires 30% faster than a standard bow	XX00CFB6	1+	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Dwarven Smithing	Archery	Dawnguard
Bow of Shadows		19		18	2500	Weapon draw is 20% faster and casts invisibility for 30 seconds.	XX000807	1+	Ebony Ingot	Arcane Blacksmith	Archery	Creation Club
Ruin's Edge		12	0.875	7	750	Randomly applies one of these effects to the target: - Demoralize, 100 pts for 20 seconds - Drain Magicka, 1000 pts for 20 seconds - Frenzy, 100 pts for 20 seconds Frost Damage, 25 pts - Paralyze, for 15 seconds Paralyze, for 1 second	FEXXXD63	1+	Daedra Heart	Daedric Smithing	Archery	Creation Club