The Dawnguard Rune Axe stands as one of Skyrim’s most distinctive two-handed weapons, blending raw power with thematic design. Whether you’re building a vampire hunter, a heavy-hitting melee character, or simply hunting for every unique weapon the game has to offer, this axe delivers serious damage output paired with unique visual flair. In this guide, we’ll break down exactly where to find it, how its stats stack up against other weapons, and how to craft or modify it for maximum effectiveness in combat.
Key Takeaways
- The Dawnguard Rune Axe is a unique two-handed weapon obtained during the “A New Order” quest in the Dawnguard DLC, featuring a built-in frost enchantment that deals 25 additional damage per hit.
- With 23 base damage and frost scaling, the Skyrim Dawnguard Rune Axe provides mid-to-late game viability and is particularly effective against vampires and undead enemies.
- Improve your Dawnguard Rune Axe at a grindstone using 1 Ebony Ingot and 1 Steel Ingot, then optionally disenchant or re-enchant it for custom playstyles.
- The weapon can be pickpocketed from Dawnguard NPCs during the questline if you want it before completing main quest progression, but take care not to accidentally sell this unique axe.
- Pair the Dawnguard Rune Axe with Fortify Two-Handed potions and frost spells for devastating damage stacking that maximizes your two-handed combat effectiveness.
What Is The Dawnguard Rune Axe?
The Dawnguard Rune Axe is a unique two-handed weapon introduced in the Dawnguard DLC, exclusive to the vampire hunter questline. It’s a solid mid-to-late game axe featuring an enchanted blue rune design that makes it instantly recognizable in your inventory. The weapon scales with your Two-Handed skill and works well in melee-focused builds, particularly those that emphasize strength-based combat.
This axe isn’t just a cosmetic showcase, it comes with built-in enchantments that make it genuinely viable for endgame content. Many players gravitate toward it both for its aesthetic appeal and its effectiveness against undead enemies, which aligns thematically with Dawnguard’s vampire-hunting narrative. Unlike some unique weapons that feel gimmicky, the Rune Axe holds its own in terms of raw DPS.
Where To Find The Dawnguard Rune Axe
You’ll obtain the Dawnguard Rune Axe during the Dawnguard questline, specifically when you complete the quest “A New Order.” This quest tasks you with recruiting members for the Dawnguard, and you’ll get the axe as a reward once you’ve finished the recruitment objectives. If you’re progressing through the DLC intentionally, you can’t miss it, it’s handed to you as part of the main quest progression.
For those who want the axe early or are replaying the DLC, there’s a workaround: the weapon appears on certain Dawnguard NPCs throughout the questline, so you can pickpocket it or find it on corpses after combat encounters. Since it’s a unique weapon with a single spawn point in the standard quest flow, be careful not to accidentally vendor it to a merchant, unique weapons don’t respawn. If you do lose it, you’ll need to reload a save or use console commands on PC to recover it.
Stats and Combat Performance
The Dawnguard Rune Axe deals 23 base damage with a swing speed of 0.75 (standard for two-handed axes). This puts it in the mid-range for two-handed weapons, not as heavy-hitting as a Daedric Axe, but respectable for a unique weapon obtained relatively early in the DLC.
What makes it valuable is its built-in enchantment: it deals an additional 25 frost damage per hit, which stacks with your Two-Handed skill scaling. Against frost-vulnerable enemies or in combination with Frost Aspect dual-casting, you’re looking at solid burst damage. The weapon is particularly effective against vampires and undead, making it thematically powerful during Dawnguard’s narrative.
In terms of practical use, the Rune Axe punches above its base damage tier when factoring in the enchantment. A player at high Two-Handed skill levels can expect reliable performance in Legendary difficulty combat. For comparison, unenchanted steel axes sit at 11 base damage, so the Rune Axe roughly doubles the output before skill scaling and perks factor in. While daedric builds offer more raw power, the Rune Axe remains competitively viable and looks substantially cooler while doing it.
Crafting and Modifying Your Rune Axe
Crafting Requirements
Unlike some weapons, you don’t craft the Dawnguard Rune Axe from scratch, it’s only obtainable through the questline. But, once you have it, you can improve and enchant it at any forge or enchanting table.
To improve the weapon at a grindstone, you’ll need:
- 1 Ebony Ingot
- 1 Steel Ingot
- A Grindstone (found in any smithy)
If you want to craft similar two-handed axes, you’ll need the Daedric Smithing perk (requires 90 Smithing) for Daedric variants, or standard Smithing perks for steel and iron axes. The Dawnguard content also introduces other unique weapons that follow similar upgrade paths.
Enchantments and Upgrades
Since the Rune Axe comes pre-enchanted, you have two options: keep the frost enchantment or disenchant it to learn the enchantment and apply it elsewhere. Warning: Disenchanting removes the weapon’s uniqueness, so only do this if you plan to apply it to a better base weapon.
To enhance the axe further:
- Smith it to Legendary using high Smithing and the appropriate perks for maximum damage output
- Pair it with Fortify Two-Handed potions during crafting for stronger gear enhancements
- Combine it with spellsword playstyles by dual-casting Frost spells for devastating damage stacking
Many players find that a Skyrim Spellsword Build: The complete guide complements axe-based combat perfectly. If you’re exploring alternative builds, Skyrim Daedric Weapons: Your comprehensive comparison shows how other unique weapons stack up. For those focused on melee excellence, Skyrim Blacksmithing: Master guides cover crafting optimization in depth.
If you want to tweak the enchantment itself, some mods on Nexus make the Dawnguard Rune Axe enchantment disenchantable, giving you more flexibility in how you customize it. This is worth exploring if you’re on PC and want full control over your weapon’s setup.
Conclusion
The Dawnguard Rune Axe is a genuinely solid weapon choice for two-handed builds, offering strong damage, thematic appeal, and reliability through mid and late game. Whether you’re roleplaying as a dedicated vampire hunter or simply want a unique axe that performs, it delivers on both fronts. Grab it during your Dawnguard playthrough, upgrade it through blacksmithing, and watch your enemies fall to a weapon forged in frost and dawnguard pride.
