The Daedric Sword stands as one of Skyrim’s most intimidating two-handed weapons, embodying the raw power and dark aesthetic of Daedric craftsmanship. Whether you’re a melee-focused warrior or building a heavy armor tank, this weapon delivers serious damage output paired with a menacing appearance that turns heads in any tavern. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about obtaining, upgrading, and wielding the Daedric Sword effectively, plus how it fits into the broader meta of Skyrim combat builds and how to blend it with other legendary weapons like the Goldbrand for maximum impact.
Key Takeaways
- The Daedric Sword is a powerful two-handed weapon with 22 base damage that requires Smithing level 49+ and the Daedric Smithing perk, making it a mid-to-late-game progression unlock for serious melee fighters.
- Craft your Daedric Sword at a forge using Ebony Ingots and Leather Strips for optimal enchantment control, or loot it from high-level enemies like Dremora Lords around level 30+.
- Upgrading at the grindstone with Ebony Ingots significantly increases damage output, with top enchantments being Absorb Health, Fiery Soul Trap, and Paralyze for sustained combat effectiveness.
- The Daedric Sword excels in heavy armor tank, spellsword hybrid, and two-handed brute builds, where it pairs thematically and mechanically with Daedric armor, Conjuration magic, and endgame content on higher difficulties.
- Maximize your Daedric Sword’s potential by investing in Daedric Smithing (Smithing 50), Arcane Blacksmith (Smithing 60), and Elemental Smithing (Smithing 100) perks for crafting, upgrading, and enchantment strength bonuses.
What Is the Daedric Sword and Why It Matters
The Daedric Sword is a two-handed weapon that scales with Heavy Armor perks and deals 22 base damage (at base smithing before upgrades). It’s visually distinct, all obsidian-black metal with spikes and a demonic vibe, and crafting it requires both Daedric smithing experience and Ebony Ingots, making it a mid-to-late-game progression unlock.
Why does it matter? Because damage-per-second (DPS) in Skyrim combat hinges on weapon base damage, your crafting perks, enchantments, and playstyle. The Daedric Sword sits in the heavy-hitter tier, competing with weapons like Ebony, Orichalcum, and eventually Daedric armor-paired builds. It’s also thematically tied to Daedric craftsmanship, so if you’re interested in Skyrim Daedric builds or exploring dark magic synergy, this blade fits the aesthetic perfectly. With proper perks and enchantments, a Daedric Sword can carry you through endgame content on higher difficulties.
How to Obtain a Daedric Sword in Skyrim
Crafting Your Own at the Forge
The primary way to get a Daedric Sword is to craft it. You’ll need:
- Smithing Level 49+ (or perks that reduce the requirement)
- Daedric Smithing perk (unlocked at Smithing 50)
- Ebony Ingots (typically 1 per weapon: loot from enemies or ore veins)
- Leather Strips (found everywhere, or craft from leather)
Head to any forge, select the Daedric Sword from the Daedric section, and craft away. If you’re short on materials, farm Daedric weapons from loot or break down unwanted gear. Using Skyrim blacksmithing mastery tips can significantly speed up your progression through the smithing tree.
The Daedric Smithing perk is essential, without it, you can’t craft the weapon at all, and it’s locked behind a fair investment in the Heavy Armor line.
Finding Daedric Swords in the World
You can also loot Daedric Swords from leveled chests, Dremora Lord summoned enemies, or certain high-level dungeons. Once you hit mid-game levels (around 30+), enemy drops become common. Dremora Lords in particular carry Daedric gear, so raiding their locations yields fast results.
But, crafted versions give you control over enchantments, so crafting is generally the smarter long-term play. The complete guide to Daedric weapons covers all your loot options in depth if you’re hunting for specific gear setups.
Stats, Damage, and Combat Performance
Here’s the raw data:
- Base Damage: 22 (two-handed)
- Weight: 26 (heavy, scales with Daedric armor)
- Value: ~470 gold (unenchanted)
- Enchantment Slots: Standard (one enchantment per weapon)
With the Daedric Smithing perk, you upgrade your Daedric Sword at a grindstone using Ebony Ingots + Leather Strips. Each upgrade adds roughly 2-3 damage per point of Smithing skill improvement (capped at 100).
Comparison context: An Ebony Sword does 21 base damage, while an Ancient Nordic Sword does 18. So Daedric sits firmly in the heavy-hitter tier. On Legendary difficulty, those 1-2 damage points add up across an entire playthrough.
What makes a Daedric Sword truly shine is enchantment synergy. Pair it with Absorb Health, Chaos Damage (if using mods), or Fiery Soul Trap for serious DPS scaling. A fully-upgraded Daedric Sword with a solid enchantment rivals many “unique” legendary weapons in endgame scenarios. The dark aesthetic also pairs well with Daedric builds, especially if you’re investing in Conjuration or Destruction magic alongside heavy armor.
Best Builds and Playstyles for Daedric Weapons
The Heavy Armor Tank
Pair your Daedric Sword with full Daedric armor and shield (one-hand Daedric Sword variant), plus perks like Elemental Protection and Unarmored Defense. This is peak “I walk into a room and everyone runs away” energy. Stack Fortify Health potions, and you’re nearly unkillable.
Spellsword Hybrid
Wield a Daedric Sword with one hand and cast spells with the other. Spellsword builds dominate because you blend melee damage with utility or burst damage from magic. Use Conjuration to summon Dremora Lords, then cleave enemies with your blade.
Bound Weapon Synergy
Raising your Conjuration skill unlocks the Bound Sword and eventually Bound Bow, but here’s the thing: Daedric aesthetics align perfectly with Conjuration magic. If you’re exploring Skyrim bound bow tactics or pure Daedric magic builds, a crafted Daedric Sword serves as a physical backup for when mana runs dry. It’s thematic and practical.
Two-Handed Brute
Max out Two-Handed perks, Power Bash, Cleave, Great Cleave, and let the Daedric Sword’s weight and damage shine. Heavy swings hit hard and stagger enemies. On Legend difficulty, this requires discipline and stamina management, but it’s viable.
Enchanting and Upgrading Your Daedric Sword
Crafting + Smithing Upgrades
Once crafted, your Daedric Sword’s real power unlocks at the grindstone. Invest in the Daedric Smithing perk and keep farming Ebony Ingots. Upgrading a weapon from base damage to fully-improved takes effort but pays dividends.
Enchantment Choices
Your one enchantment slot matters. Top picks:
- Absorb Health (15 points) – Healing + damage in one slot: sustains you in long fights
- Fiery Soul Trap – Dual-stat enchantment: deals fire damage and fills soul gems (great for leveling)
- Paralyze – Crowd control: expensive, but worth it for boss fights
- Chaos Damage (mod-dependent) – If you’re on PC with mods, this 50-50 split between frost/fire/shock is brutal
Use a petty or common soul gem to enchant, since weapon enchantments don’t require grand souls. But, higher-tier souls create stronger enchantments, so grand souls boost your Daedric Sword’s output significantly.
Perks That Amplify It
- Daedric Smithing (Smithing 50) – Unlocks crafting
- Arcane Blacksmith (Smithing 60) – Upgrade enchanted weapons
- Elemental Smithing (Smithing 100) – Enchanted weapons you upgrade get +25% enchantment strength
If you’re pairing this with a Spellsword or Conjuration build, grab Necromancy or Daedric Influence perks to reinforce the dark magic theme. These don’t directly boost your sword’s damage, but they synergize with the weapon’s aesthetic and your overall playstyle philosophy.
For a complete progression framework, blacksmithing mastery tactics walk you through perking efficiently so you’re not wasting skill points early game when you could be leveling other essentials.
