Sinking steel into a foe’s flesh isn’t truly satisfying if they don’t go down quickly, which is why every knowledgeable killer carries a powerful dagger at his side.
And the real smart ones keep it ready to be pulled out when required.
Lurking from the shadows, the assassins await… But which dagger is the one they’d carry on their belts? Here are my picks for the best daggers you should look into carrying in your Skyrim sessions.
15. Orcish Dagger
The Orcish dagger is one of the most basic weapons in Skyrim, but it’s quite a trusty companion that will sure strike fear into the hearts of countless foes.
Orcish daggers are some of the most common weapons wielded by rookie assassins and thieves, as they can be found in a wide array of locations and they provide a decent damage output.
Now this dagger can be found in various locations across Skyrim, but it may also be directly bought from the many merchants that roam the lands of the snow-ridden region.
Legend has it that there’s an Orcish dagger stabbed into a Skeleton somewhere in Labyrinthian but the location is guarded by trolls.
The easiest way to get your hands on one is by purchasing it from a blacksmith or a general goods store. Easy peasy!
14. Elven Dagger
Up next is the Elven dagger which was originally crafted by the blacksmiths of the Summerset Isles.
According to the lore’s history books, the design of this blade was created in Alinor, the capital city of the Isles themselves.
This dagger is the preferred weapon of the Thalmor as well as the most wielded shot weapon of the High Elven race. It can be found in many locations inhabited by high elves in Skyrim but, much like the Orcish dagger, it may also be crafted or purchased from general goods merchants and blacksmiths.
Bandit chiefs tend to carry Elven daggers as a sign of prestige, which means that you can find them by storming bandit dens and taking out their bosses. Easier said that done but hey, you signed up for this journey!
13. Valdr’s Lucky Dagger
Even though Valdr’s Lucky Dagger isn’t the most powerful of steel blades, the Dragonborn can show his generosity by wielding this short sword in honor of Valdr, the hunter.
The Lucky Dagger can be obtained by helping Valdr, a stranded hunter who’s stuck in the Moss Moth Cavern, to clear out the cave from the monsters that roam it.
The hunter got stuck in the cave alongside a couple of his friends who got killed by the spriggans that inhabit it.
Ari, one of his friends, gave the blade to him before they went on the expedition. And Valdr will happily give it to you as a way of saying “thanks” once the cave is cleared so the hunter’s friends can be buried respectfully.
12. Borvir’s Dagger
The Borvir’s dagger is exactly what an adventurer needs if they haven’t met the level requirement to obtain a common Elven dagger.
Borvir’s dagger is a carbon copy of a regular Elven dagger – it simply has a different name and one key difference that makes it an ideal blade for the early game: it can be obtained almost as soon as the game begins.
All you’ve gotta do to obtain the dagger is complete the Missing Apprentices quest, which can be obtained by speaking to Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold.
The quest is rather short as it was originally intended to be part of a larger questline, but the plans were abandoned by Skyrim’s developers.
Borvir’s dagger lies at one side of Borvir’s corpse so finding the missing apprentice will let you keep the dagger for yourself.
11. Skyforge Steel Dagger
The Skyforge steel dagger is a rare sharp weapon that shares the same base damage as the Elven dagger, and it can prove to be quite a difficult item to obtain.
Seasoned adventurers might come across a wide array of Skyforge weapons, all of which aren’t common and need to be found or purchased from specific merchants.
The Skyforge steel dagger can be obtained as a random quest reward, but the most certain way in which an adventurer can get their hands on this precious weapon is by finding Eourlund Gray-Mane and purchasing it from him.
He has a large collection of these blades available and ready to be sold. And its low base value makes it rather easy to obtain, even in the early game.
10. Bloodthorn
With this kind of name you know we’re talking business now. The Bloodthorn blade is the first unique blade of this list, and quite possibly one of the most useful small weapons that you can get in Skyrim.
Bloodthorn has quite a unique effect: if a foe dies within three seconds of being hit with this, its soul will pass on to fill any empty Soul Gem in your inventory.
The Bloodthorn blade also has a unique effect that isn’t listed on its description: it absorbs the health of each enemy that it cuts, which compensates a bit for its lack of base damage.
However the blade is not easy to get at all.
You need to visit the Nordic tomb of Hag’s End and make your way through any difficulties that may attempt to keep you away. Bloodthorn lies just atop the altar, so shake off any blood stains from your clothing and pick it up once you clear Hag’s End.
9. Nordic Dagger
The elegant Nordic dagger is a powerful blade that can be found in many places around Skyrim after you reach level 26.
It will only show up if the Dragonborn DLC is installed, as the weapon wasn’t originally included in the base version of the game.
Even though the blade resembles other weapons in terms of base damage, its unique and beautiful forgery make it one of the most sought-after weapons by accomplished assassins.
The Nordic dagger only has one fixed spawn in the game which is in Hrodulf’s House.
The weapon can also be found on the bodies of slain foes, but again you’ll need to be level 26 or above. The Nordic dagger may also be found at level 25 but it won’t be enchanted.
8. Alessandra’s Dagger
So this dagger has many of the attributes of a regular steel dagger, but it’s much lighter than its counterpart.
In fact, Alessandra’s dagger is one of the best assassin weapons given its weight of a single point. Especially for those players who love to feel nimble.
Alessandra, the owner of this blade, is an Arkay priest who was rewarded with this trusty companion by her father after she completed her training.
It’s also a quest item so you cannot remove it from your inventory.
Many Skyrim veterans opt to not complete the quest in order to keep the weapon, as it’s very useful if the player happens to be thrown in jail – quest items can’t be removed so you get to keep it even behind bars!
7. Mehrunes’ Razor
This fearful blade is a Daedric artifact that may only be obtained by completing the quest given by Mehrunes Dagon himself.
The Daedric Prince will grant you his blade once the Dragonborn helps him fulfill his wishes.
It’s one of the best blades in the game as it has a hidden effect which grants an almost 2% chance to insta-kill any creature anywhere.
As if that wasn’t enough, this incredible blade has a base damage of 11 which makes it the most powerful blade in this list so far.
To obtain this sleek little guy you’ll need to complete Pieces of the Past, and you’ll need to kill &mdashnot spare — Silus in order for the Daedric Prince to be pleased.
If you fail to execute the man then Dagon will not grant you his razor. Best be making your amends now if you ever want to get ahold of this weapon.
6. Keening Dagger
Keening was forged by the legendary Dwemer genius, Kagrenac, many years before the events of Skyrim.
The weapon has been around since the First Era and it’s seen as one of the rarest and most expensive daggers in the game.
It has a unique enchantment that drains 10 points of magicka, health, and stamina, but it cannot be recharged.
The only way to keep the Keening dagger from losing its enchantment is for the player to carry equipment that fortifies Destruction.
This will prevent the spell from losing its charm(smart!)
It can be obtained by visiting a specific location during the Arniel’s Endeavor quest like the Broken Helm Hollow, Mara’s Eye Den or Gallows Rock.
5. Daedric Dagger
The Daedric dagger is one of the many weapons held by the Daedra, but it also serves a great purpose for those looking to kill in stealth.
With a base damage of 11, the Daedric dagger is one of the most powerful short blades in the game(among a handful of others at this level).
It has a beautifully malevolent design with a curve that’s capable of cutting through every type of flesh in Tamriel.
The Dremora Merchant will sell these blades once you reach level 46. And it may also be found as random loot drop from dragons as well as in certain high-level thief dens.
The Daedric dagger is a strong weapon and one of the best end-game daggers for an assassin to carry – especially if you enchant it with a powerful spell.
4. Stalhrim Dagger
The Stalhrim dagger is pretty unique although it can be found scattered around Skyrim if you know where to look.
However it is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, and even more so if you place an enchantment onto this sucker.
It can be bought from certain vendors once the quest “A new source of Stalhrim” is completed, which is also needed before the dagger can be crafted too.
Glover Mallory and Baldor Iron-Shaper are the two main vendors in the game that sell this rare blade. It may also be found in chests as random loot.
3. Blade of Sacrifice
This rare Ebony dagger is mostly wielded by the followers of Boethiah, the Daedric Prince of deceit and treachery.
It usually acts as a regular Ebony blade but it’s one of the most beautiful and striking weapons that you’ll find of this size.
With a base damage of 10 this blade can prove its worth in battle as well as in stealth assassination missions.
It can be obtained by looting the bodies of any follower of Boethiah during the quest “Boethiah’s Calling”.
This quest must be finished by slaying all the followers of the Daedric Prince, which means that you can get ahold of various copies of this dagger if you desire.
Remember each follower carries one of these powerful blades on them.
2. Dragonbone Dagger
The Dragonbone dagger is quite difficult to craft as it requires maxed out Smithing skill as well as having a dragon bone in your inventory, along with a leather strip.
It has a powerful base damage level of 12 making it the strongest dagger weapon of its kind in the game, right alongside the Blade of Woe(which is coming up next, hint hint!)
However the Dragonbone dagger isn’t enchanted nor can it share the same powerful enchantment as the Blade of Woe.
The main difference between these daggers is that the Dragonbone blade is much faster to wield, and it allows a Dragonborn to hit much more frequently than its counterpart.
This blade is great for assassins as well as any warrior who’d rather carry a smaller weapon in their quests.
1. Blade of Woe
The Blade of Woe is The Elder Scroll’s most recognizable short blade.
It has also appeared in Oblivion and TES Online, and it’s the most representative item of The Dark Brotherhood.
Originally a regular blade, the Blade of Woe was enchanted by The Night Mother herself during the story of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
This fearful blade is the only weapon in the game that can be upgraded without using ingots in the grinder, and its damage is so tremendous that most assassins opt to use it over any other weapon if possible.
In Skyrim, the Blade of Woe is owned by The Dark Brotherhood’s leader. But it is rewarded only once you clear some of the main missions of The Dark Brotherhood questline.
Born in the first half of the 90s, video games have been a part of my life ever since I was introduced to Age of Empires I by my dad. I'm a Mass Communications graduate with a specialization in Marketing, as well as a hardcore gamer. My aim is to bring you quality content so you can get the best out of your games and take your experience to the next level!
