The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim All Game Items guide screenshot

All Game Items

All Game Items



This guide provides a comprehensive overview of every major item category in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Items are grouped logically with detailed explanations of what they do, how to obtain them, when they are useful, and any important synergies or upgrades. This covers weapons, armor, consumables, materials, currencies, collectibles, and key equipment.

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Weapons



Weapons in Skyrim are divided by skill type (One-Handed, Two-Handed, Archery) and material quality (Iron, Steel, Dwarven, etc.). Unique artifacts often surpass standard crafting.

One-Handed Weapons


  • Swords: Balanced speed and damage. Best for critical hits and perks like Armsman and Bladesman. Found everywhere.

  • Daggers: Fastest swing, but low base damage. Essential for stealth assassins (15x damage with Backstab). The Blade of Woe (Daedric artifact, 12 base damage, absorb health) is top-tier.

  • Maces: Slow but high armor penetration. Use with Bone Breaker perk. Mace of Molag Bal (16 base, absorb stamina/magicka) is excellent.

  • Axes: Moderate speed and damage, can cause bleeding. Dawnbreaker (Daedric, 12 base, extra damage to undead, chance to explode) shines against Draugr.


    • Two-Handed Weapons


  • Greatswords: Fastest two-handed, good for crowd control. Chillrend (unique sword, frost damage, chance to paralyze) is obtained during the Thieves Guild questline.

  • Battleaxes: Medium speed, high damage. The Longhammer (unique Orcish warhammer, 25% faster swing) is a speed demon. Volendrung (Daedric hammer, 25 base, absorb stamina) is excellent for heavy attacks.

  • Warhammers: Slowest but highest damage and armor penetration. Wuuthrad (Yngol’s axe, 25 base, double damage to elves) is lore-friendly. The Ebony Blade (two-handed, lifesteal) is a Daedric artifact.


    • Bows


  • Longbow: Standard starter. Falmer Supple Bow (light, fast) is good for stealth.

  • Daedric Bow: Best base damage for non-unique. Nightingale Bow (unique, 19 base, frost damage, lifesteal) is the best non-Dragonbone bow.

  • Zephyr (Dwemer replica, 30% faster draw) – obtained during the Lost to the Ages quest. Ideal for archers.

  • Dragonbone Bow: Highest base damage in the base game (20), available with Dragon Smithing.


    • Staves (Destruction magic)


  • Staff of Fireballs, Staff of Lightning Bolt, Staff of Chain Lightning: Found in loot or crafted with Enchanting. Useful for non-mages to deal magic damage. The Staff of Magnus (infinite magicka for 60 seconds during the College questline) is a unique artifact.


    • Uniques & Daedric Artifacts


    Many Daedric Princes grant powerful weapons for completing their quests:
  • Dawnbreaker (Meridia) – vs undead.

  • Mace of Molag Bal – soul trap effect.

  • Volendrung (Malacath) – stamina absorption.

  • Ebony Blade (Mephala) – lifesteal, damage scales with NPC kills.

  • Wabbajack (Sheogorath) – random effects, can turn enemies into chickens.


    • The Dragonbane (blades sword, 14 base, extra 20-40 damage to dragons) is superb against its namesake.

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    Armor



    Armor sets improve survivability and provide set bonuses when wearing multiple pieces. Light armor benefits rogues and archers; heavy armor benefits warriors and tanks. Both can reach the armor cap (567 displayed, 80% damage reduction) with perks.

    Light Armor


  • Hide/Leather/Fur: Early game. Weak, but easy to craft. The Fur Armor is the only armor that can be worn by beast races (Khajiit, Argonians) without penalty.

  • Elven: Good for stealth mages. Falmer Hardened Armor has better stats but is ugly.

  • Glass: Second-best light armor. Glass Armor of Major Health is common loot.

  • Dragonscale: Crafted from dragon scales. Best light armor in base game (armor value 41 per piece).

  • Nightgale Armor: Unique set from Thieves Guild. Boots grant Muffle, gloves grant +35% lockpicking, armor improves One-Handed and bow damage. Full set is legendary for thieves.

  • Shrouded Armor: Dark Brotherhood set. Includes a hood that grants a bonus to bow damage and a cowl that muffles footsteps.

  • Linwe’s Armor: Light set from a Thieves Guild quest. Provides +20% one-handed damage.


    • Heavy Armor


  • Iron/Steel: Ubiquitous early game. Steel is better. Steel Plate is heavier but has better values.

  • Dwarven: Good mid-tier. Easily craftable from Dwarven metal ingots.

  • Orcish: Strong but heavy. Orcish Armor is the best heavy set before Ebony.

  • Ebony: High-end. Ebony Mail (unique Daedric artifact) poisons nearby enemies and muffles footsteps.

  • Daedric: Best non-unique heavy armor. Requires 90 Smithing, Ebony ingots, and Daedra hearts. Excellent for tank mages (heavy armor + conjuration).

  • Aetherial Crown: Unique item from Lost to the Ages. Allows you to store a second standing stone power (e.g., The Lover Stone + The Lord Stone). Must be activated.


    • Shields


    Shields block damage and can be enchanted. Spellbreaker (Daedric shield from The Only Cure) creates a ward when blocking, ideal against mages. Auriel’s Shield (Dawnguard DLC) stores blocked energy and releases a stagger burst.

    Clothing (Non-armor)


  • Mage robes: Provide magicka regen and destruction/cost reduction. The Archmage’s Robes give +15% magicka and reduce all spell costs by 15%. Master Robes are cheaper but equally potent for a single school.

  • Thief Guild Armor: While not armor per se, the Guild Master’s Armor set increases lockpicking, pickpocket, sneak, and persuasion. Best for non-combat play.


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    Consumables



    Consumables restore stats, grant temporary buffs, or harm enemies.

    Potions


    Potions are created through Alchemy or looted. Common types:
  • Healing Potions: Restore Health. Essential at all levels. Craft from Blue Mountain Flower + Wheat (restore health+fortify health).

  • Magicka Potions: Restore Magicka. Critical for mages. Craft from Red Mountain Flower + Tundra Cotton.

  • Stamina Potions: Restore Stamina. Useful for power attacks and sprinting. Craft from Juniper Berries + Garlic.

  • Fortify One-Handed: Increases one-handed damage. Combine Bone Meal + Salt Pile.

  • Invisibility Potion: Makes you invisible for a short time. Craft from Luna Moth Wing + Chaurus Eggs. Extremely useful for thieves.

  • Paralysis Potion: Paralyzes the target for a few seconds. Craft from Canis Root + Imp Stool + Mora Tapinella. Can be applied to weapons.

  • Poison of Damage Health: Apply to weapons for extra damage. Craft from Deathbell + River Betty + Salt Pile.


    • Food


    Food restores small amounts of Health/Stamina. Cooked meals are better. Elsweyr Fondue (Moon Sugar + Eidar Cheese + Ale) restores Magicka and boosts Magicka regen. Vegetable Soup (Potato + Cabbage + Leek + Tomato) gives 1 Health/Stamina per second for 720 seconds – extremely powerful for warriors.

    Ingredients


    Raw alchemy ingredients have four effects each (discovered by eating or testing). Some rare ingredients:
  • Daedra Heart: Can be used in Daedric smithing. Potion effect: Damage Health, Damage Magicka Regen, Damage Stamina Regen, and Restore Magicka.

  • Imp Stool: Damage Health, Lingering Damage Health, Paralysis, and Restore Stamina. Easy to find in caves.

  • Jarrin Root: Only one exists (Dark Brotherhood quest). Inflict massive poison damage. Combined with other effects can create a one-shot poison.


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    Materials



    Materials are used for crafting (Smithing, Alchemy, Enchanting).

    Ores & Ingots (Smithing)


  • Iron / Corundum / Orichalcum / Moonstone / Quicksilver / Malachite / Ebony: Mined from veins. Smelt into ingots. Needed to create armor and weapons.

  • Steel Ingot: Requires 1 Iron + 1 Corundum. Foundation of steel armor.

  • Dwarven Metal Ingot: Smelted from Dwarven scrap metal (bent Dwemer struts, cogs, etc.). Used for Dwarven armor.

  • Daedra Heart: Rare drop from Dremora, needed for Daedric smithing.

  • Dragon Scales & Bones: Obtained from dragons. Required for Dragonscale armor and Dragonbone weapons with Dragon Smithing perk.


    • Leather & Hides


  • Leather Strips: Crafted from leather. Used for many armor pieces.

  • Leather: Made from animal hides (deer, wolf, bear).

  • Animal Pelts: Found on predators; can be tanned into leather.

  • Bear, Sabre Cat, Mammoth, and Werewolf Pelts: Needed for certain crafting or personal quests (e.g., A Daedra’s Best Friend).


    • Soul Gems (Enchanting)


    Used to recharge enchanted weapons and create new enchantments.
  • Petty, Lesser, Common, Greater, Grand: Sizes. Grand soul gems can hold the souls of humans, dragons, or mammoths.

  • Black Soul Gems: Hold human (black) souls. Obtained from Necromancer altars or rare drops. Required for making certain enchantments permanent.

  • Azura’s Star / Black Star: Reusable soul gem that never breaks. Choose Azura (white souls) or Black (black souls) at the end of the quest.


    • Other Materials


  • Fire / Frost / Void Salts: Alchemy ingredients, also used for enchanting staves. Obtained from Atronachs.

  • Deathbell: Alchemy ingredient, often used for poisons. Grows in marshes.

  • Ectoplasm: Dropped by ghosts, used for fortify destruction potions and some enchantments.


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    Currencies



  • Gold (Septims): The main currency. Also used as a crafting component? (No, but you can buy items). Earned through quests, looting, selling gear. Max amount you can have is 2,147,483,647 (integer limit).

  • Rare Coins: Old Nordic coins (found in tombs) and the Gold Olympe (from the Stendarr’s Beacon). Not usable as currency but can be sold for a lot.

  • Favor Tokens: Unused; just quest items.


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    Collectibles



    Stones of Barenziah


    24 gems scattered across Skyrim. Collect all to unlock the Prowler’s Profit passive (find more gems in chests). Look in every burial urn, cave, and palace. Quest: No Stone Unturned (Vex in Riften). Worth it for infinite loot.

    Dragon Priest Masks


    Nine masks hidden in ancient dragon priest lairs. Each provides unique stats (e.g., Morokei gives +100% magicka regen, Nahkriin reduces destruction cost and grants +50 magicka). Collect all to open the Wooden Mask portal in Labyrinthian and get Konahrik (heals when low health, summons fire storm).

    Daedric Artifacts


    15 Daedric quests yield unique items. Each artifact is one-of-a-kind. Notable: Sanguine Rose (staff summons a Dremora), Mora’s Agony (staff that creates a telekinesis puddle), Oghma Infinium (read to gain 5 skill levels in 6 skills of your choice).

    Skill Books


    Each skill has 5 skill books that permanently raise that skill by 1 point (can exceed level cap). Books are scattered; refer to the Skill Books page for locations. Example: The Wolf Queen, v1 (One-Handed), 2920, Sun’s Dusk, v11 (Sneak).

    Treasure Maps


    Ten treasure maps (plus special Treasure Map in the Helgen Keep exit). Each map shows a location with a hidden chest containing leveled gold, gems, and random loot. Use the map to find the X. The best is potentially Treasure Map IX (reward for a quest, leads to a chest with 500 gold + leveled item).

    Quest Items


    Many quests give unique items that cannot be dropped (e.g., The Jagged Crown, Elder Scrolls). Often not usable once the quest is complete. Hold on to them or store them in a house.

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    Key Equipment



    Special armor and weapons that provide synergies or build-defining effects:

  • Aetherial Crown (mentioned above): Best to combine with The Lover Stone (all skills improve 15%) plus The Lord Stone (50% magic resistance). That combination gives you the best passive defense and skill gain.

  • The Black Star: Reusable soul gem that can capture human souls. Essential for constant weapon recharging without worrying about grand soul gems.

  • Nightingale Bow & Armor: Set bonuses – boots muffle, gloves improve lockpicking, armor boosts weapon damage. Perfect for a stealth archer.

  • Dawnguard Rune Weapons: Dawnguard weapons (crossbow, warhammer, etc.) deal extra damage to undead. Combine with Auriel’s Shield for holy warrior build.

  • Sanguine Rose: Summons a Dremora for 60 seconds. Extremely strong for conjuration builds or as a distraction.

  • Spellbreaker: The only shield that creates a ward. Block spells and arrows alike. Essential for anti-mage tank.

  • Wabbajack: Unreliable but hilarious. Turns enemies into cheese or a Dremora lord. Can be used to one-shot high-level enemies if lucky.


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    Crafting & Upgrade Synergies



  • Smithing + Enchanting + Alchemy Loop: Create fortify smithing potions and fortify smithing gear to improve weapons/armor beyond legendary. This requires Fortify Alchemy enchanted gear and Fortify Smithing potions. The loop can produce damage values exceeding 10,000.

  • Archery + Poisons: Apply Damage Health or Weakness to Poison + Damage Health to arrows with the Hunter’s Discipline perk (retrieve poisons). Use Sneak + Archery for maximum effect.

  • One-Handed + Shield: Combine Shield Bash perk with Bash enchants (stagger). Unrelenting Force shout + shield bash = permanent stunlock.

  • Mage Armor + Dragonhide: The Alteration perk Mage Armor triples armor rating from flesh spells. Dragonhide caps physical damage reduction at 80%. Can reach armor cap without wearing armor.


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    Important Notes



  • Always keep at least one of each generic ingredient for the Unfathomable Depths quest (if you have the Dawnguard DLC).

  • Don’t sell unique artifacts – they are irreplaceable.

  • Use the Steed Stone to negate movement penalty from heavy armor.

  • The Mage’s Circlet (boss loot) can be used instead of a helmet to keep the Mage Armor perk active (since it's not armor).


This guide covers every major item category. For a detailed list of every individual item ID or exact stats, refer to the UESP or the Skyrim Wiki.