So, it's time for yet another playthrough of Skyrim. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each build, the obvious choice is to make yet another stealth archer. And hey, the majority of the player base thinks so too! Archery in Skyrim is not only fun, but it's also very overpowered. With perks and enchanted equipment, assassins can boost the damage from their arrows to astronomical levels.
We at DualShockers don't want players wreaking havoc at a distance unprepared, so we’ve prepared a brief list of the best bows available across Skyrim (and Solstheim).
Updated by James Austin on September 27, 2022: The selection of unique bows in Skyrim leaves a bit to be desired. The game features a veritable mountain of one- and two-handed weapons, but when it comes to bows, players are left wanting more. That said, we've scoured this snowy realm to present some additional options for players looking to up their archery game. Some of these were originally honorable mentions, and have since been fleshed out with full entries. All new entries are marked with an asterix (*).
10 Bow of Shadows*
The Bow of Shadows is an excellent tool for assassins. It's fairly easy to obtain early on in the game, as long as it's been purchased on the Creation Club for $2. Alternatively, Anniversary Edition users get the creation for free. The quest to obtain it starts by talking to Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach in Whiterun, and asking "Is there anything you need from me?".
Originally appearing in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the Bow of Shadows boasts solid base damage, along with a convenient invisibility enchantment. The enchantment activates when the bow is unsheathed, lasting around 30 seconds. The bow actually does have one major weakness in its slow drawing speed, but that's not so important considering it'll almost always be used from a position of stealth.
9 Zephyr*
Zephyr is a Dwarven bow named for a swift wind, which it seemingly uses to rain death on unwitting foes. Its unique enchantment gives it the fastest firing rate of any ranged weapon in the game. Though its base damage isn't amazing, its damage per second is. The bow can be found in a Dwemer ruin called Arkngthamz during the quest "Lost to the Ages".
To start this quest, the Dragonborn can either locate and read a copy of the book The Aetherium Wars, or simply proceed to the ruin, which is southeast of Markarth. Zephyr's low base damage means it actually isn't all that useful for stealth archers relying on sneak attack damage. In a straight-up fight, however, it's easily one of the best bows in the game.
8 Ruin's Edge*
Ruin's Edge is a weird, awesome bow from Oblivion's Shivering Isles expansion, since revived on Bethesda's Creation Club for Skyrim. After purchasing the $4 creation, players can grab the bow by completing a short quest at Stony Creek Cave, which is southeast of Windhelm.
The bow carries an enchantment that can randomly cast Fear, Drain Magicka, Frenzy, Frost Damage, or Paralyze. It goes without saying that each of these is amazing; it's a chaotic enchantment that makes the bow very fun to use. Ruin's Edge is also one of the coolest-looking bows in the game — a Daedric instrument with a yellow eye staring back at its wielder.
7 Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow*
The Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow is obtainable if the player completes the "Ancient Technology" questline after siding with the Dawnguard. It's a bit of trouble to get, but all that trouble is worth it for this brutal device.
It takes the great base damage of the Dwarven Crossbow and adds an armor-piercing effect on top of it.
Its tendency to stagger opponents makes it a fantastic sidearm for archers who get caught up in a melee skirmish. Crossbows can be slow to reload, but the Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow is one of the speedier options. With the Quick Draw perk, it fires off bolts like nobody's business.
6 Stalhrim Bow*
Stalhrim weapons are powerful artifacts that gain a bonus to frost enchantment damage. The base power of a Stalhrim Bow is slightly less than that of a Dragonbone Bow. However, by making strategic choices in terms of perks and enchantments, its unique bonus can make it the very best bow in the game. It benefits from Chaos and powerful Frost enchantments, as well as the Augmented Frost perk in the Destruction skill tree.
Of course, Stalhrim is situational; the bow requires extra work and upgrades to make it truly great. Stalhrim Bows can be crafted at Smithing level 80 after completing the quest "A New Source of Stalhrim", obtained from Deor Woodcutter in the Skaal Village in Solstheim.
5 Glass Bow of the Stag Prince
"The Stag Prince" is a reference to the Daedric Prince Hircine, appropriate considering this bow is bought in Solstheim, the site of the deadly Bloodmoon. You can purchase it from the Dunmer merchant Falas Selvayn at his Ramshackle Trading Post on the southern side of Solstheim. He only appears if you enter the area between 12 am and 6 am, waiting will not cause him to spawn.
The bow has respectable damage, but its main appeal is its stacking enchantment. It gives the wielder an additional five points of health and stamina per 20 animals killed using it, stacking up to five times. At max enchantment, it grants an extra 25 points of stamina and health. This beefy enchantment combined with the bow’s high base damage makes the Glass Bow of the Stag Prince one of the more formidable bows in the game.
4 Gauldur Black Bow
The Gauldur Black Bow is one of four artifacts recoverable during the quest “Forbidden Legend.” To begin this quest, simply read a copy of the book “Lost Legends”, found in numerous places around Skyrim. The bow specifically can be found in Geriumund’s Hall wielded by the very powerful draugr Sigdis Gauldurson. Once he's taken down, the Dragonborn will be awarded the Gauldur Black Bow.
Although its base damage is average, the power is in the enchantment. This bow is the quintessential anti-mage weapon, absorbing magicka from your enemies with every arrow fired. Considering the number of mages in Skyrim, it's generally worth keeping around.
3 Auriel’s Bow
Acquiring this bow takes the Dragonborn on quite the journey. Perhaps appropriately, considering it has the power to block out the sun or make it explode. Auriel’s Bow is obtained by completing the penultimate quest in the Dawnguard main quest line, “Touching the Sky”, in which players must battle their way through the beautiful Forgotten Vale.
While its base damage is on the lower side, its enchantment makes the difference. Auriel’s Bow inflicts 20 points of sun damage and does triple damage to the undead. It's invaluable when clearing out Draugr-infested ruins. It also has one of the fastest drawback speeds of any bow, only being bested by Zephyr. Using Sunhallowed Arrows or Bloodcursed Arrows can also make the sun explode or disappear respectively, which is neat.
2 Nightingale Bow
The signature bow of Nocturnal’s chosen, the Nightingale Bow packs quite the punch. It's acquired from Karliah after completing one of the last Thieves Guild quests, “Blindsighted”. Remember that everything in Skyrim scales with level, so for the bow to be at maximum power, it must be acquired after level 46.
The Nightingale Bow has among the highest base damages in the game, with a powerful enchantment to boot. “Nightingale Storm” inflicts bonus frost and shock damage, adding a lot of damage to the sleek weapon. With some of the highest base damage in the game and a powerful damaging enchantment, the Nightingale Bow is one of the best bows available to the Dovahkiin.
1 Dwarven Black Bow of Fate
The Dwarven Black Bow of Fate is genuinely a legendary weapon. In order to obtain this incredibly powerful artifact, the player must gather Resonance Gems across Solstheim to unlock gates within the Dwemer ruin Kagrumez. It can be found sitting on a rack near the end of the dungeon.
This bow has one of the most powerful enchantments in the game. For every arrow shot, there is a chance to drain 25 points of health, magicka, and/or stamina from the target. For each attribute, the chance is 50%, so each shot makes three individual checks when the hit lands. Though there are bows with better base damage or faster drawback speeds, this incredible enchantment makes the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate the most powerful in Skyrim.