There is a variety of weapons in Skyrim. From Greatswords to one-handed weapons like swords, bows, and even arrows, there is a variety of options available. There are a total of 21 different Arrow types in Skyrim Special Edition. They range from pretty weak and easier to find to powerful but rare Arrow types.
- Skyrim has a total of 21 different types of Arrows. And all of these Arrows are ranked from Worst to Best.
- Among these arrow types, the Bound Arrows are created using magic, as you’ll have to use a Conjuring spell to get them.
- These Arrows range from 0 Base Damage to 25 Base Damage.
- Iron Arrows are the most abundant in the game, making them best for aim practice if you’re new to Archer build.
- The same goes for the Steel Arrows as you’ll find them on all guards in Skyrim, with a few random NPCs.
- Dwarven Arrows are a power jump from the Steel Arrows, they have 14 base damage, which makes them quite deadly.
- Elven Arrows have 16 base damage, and you’ll find them easily on every Thalmor soldier.
- You can get Bloodcursed or Sunhallowed Elven Arrows which have special enchantments which work with Auriel’s Bow.
- You can get Ebony Arrows with 20 base damage by unlocking Ebony Smithing.
- Stalhrim Arrows have 20 base damage like the Ebony Arrows and you’ll need Ebony Smithing to acquire them.
- The Daedric Arrows are quite deadly as they have 24 Base Damage, but they require Daedric Heart to craft, making them hard to acquire.
- Dragonbone Arrow is the most powerful out of all as it has 25 Base Damage, the highest among all arrows. The Base Damage is higher than a lot of weapons.
- The early-game arrows are easier to find, whereas chances are you won’t find the late-game arrows during your gameplay.
- Dragonbone Arrow is only found in Soul Cairn. Otherwise, you can make these using Dragon Bone.
- As for the rare Arrow types, you can use the Unlimited Arrow glitch.
Practice Arrow
The weakest of all arrows in Skyrim is the Practice Arrow. It has no base damage, meaning that the Arrows will damage the enemy, but they won’t add any of their own like other arrows. The only damage that you will deal will be from the Bow. These arrows are visually similar to the Iron Arrows.

There are two methods that you can use to get infinite arrows. First is that you drop them right after asking for more. That way, she’ll provide you with them. Another is to give the Arrows to your follower and ask them to shoot at a target. We’ll explain. You can also use console commands to get the Practice Arrow. The Console ID of the Practice Arrow in Skyrim is 000CAB52.
As they deal minimum damage to the opponent, they are perfect for inflicting poison damage on enemies. If you want to put on a special effect onto enemies without killing them, then it is good in that sense too. Because when you get to higher Archery skill, you can kill enemies with one shot.
Rusty Arrow
The Rusty Arrows can arguably be called one of the rarest arrows in the game. That isn’t because they are good or because they have any special effect. It is only because these arrows are hard to find in the game. They have the second-lowest damage of all the arrows in the game.

You’ll find the Rusty Arrow at different locations. They won’t be sold by any kind of vendor, so you are limited by that factor. We came across some arrows in Geirmund’s Hall. There, during the fight against Sigdis Gauldurson, his clones used these arrows. You can find a few arrows that missed you during the fight. You can get these arrows using Console Commands. Their ID is 000E738A.
Falmer Arrow
The next type of arrow on our list of Best Arrows in the game is the Falmer Arrow. They belong to the Falmer Race that you face in the underground world of Skyrim. They are made of Falmer materials that are available to them underground. The stats of their items go on to show that their items aren’t as good as it seems.

Unlike many other arrow types in the game, the Falmer Arrow can’t be crafted, even if you have the Dawnguard DLC. But you will find a ton of these if you go down into Falmer’s caves. There, you’ll find that every other Falmer is carrying the arrows, and you will easily find a bunch of them. Not only there, if you head to the Dwemer ruins, but there will also be several sets of Falmer arrows there too. The ID for these arrows is 00038341.
Forsworn Arrow
The Forsworn Arrows are quite similar to the Daedric arrows in their appearance. They have a double-pronged arrowhead. Even though their appearance is similar to the Daedric arrows, which have one of the greatest damage, they don’t deal as much damage. Their base damage is less than half of the Daedric Arrows.

We mentioned earlier that Forsworn arrows’ damage isn’t good for the region where you’ll find them in The Reach. That is because The Reach is said to be the hardest region of all in Skyrim. And that is where you’ll come across the Forsworn, who are the rebellious natives of The Reach. They are quite difficult to fight against, and you will find the Forsworn Arrows on their Archers. They can’t be crafted like most of the Arrows in the game. The ID of the Forsworn Arrows is 000CEE9E.
Iron Arrow
Arguably the most common arrows in the world of Skyrim are the Iron Arrows. They have the typical arrow design, with iron arrowheads, wooden shafts, and red fletchings. As they are readily available in the game, you should always prefer to use them instead of any of the arrow types that we have mentioned above.

We’ve mentioned before that you’ll find them easily throughout the game. Wherever you go exploring, you’ll surely encounter someone carrying the Iron Arrows. If luck has gone against you, then going through any Bandit Camp will allow you to get your hands on them. If you want to craft them, then you’ll need these items to craft 24 Iron arrows.
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Iron Ingot
Apart from that, you can acquire these arrows using console commands. The ID of the Iron Arrows is 0001397D.
Ancient Nord Arrow
The Ancient Nord arrows belong to the past. And even though they have faced years upon years, they have still held onto their high damage. Ancient Nord Arrows have a slightly higher base damage than the Iron Arrows.

You’ll find the Ancient Nord Arrows quite early in the game if you head onto any of the Nordic Tombs, notably during the main quest Bleak Falls Barrow. It is an early quest in which you have to go into the Bleak Falls Barrow and retrieve the Dragon Burial Mounds. That’s when you’ll first encounter Draugrs carrying the Ancient Nord Arrows. Apart from that, there are tons of Nordic Tombs where you’ll find the arrows. Lastly, if you want to use console commands, the ID is 00034182.
Riekling Spear
When you get the Dragonborn DLC, a lot of new content gets added to the game. Most noticeably, the Solstheim region. In the region, among many other things, the Rieklings become available. They are small goblin-like creatures. You’ll find them in caves or ruins in the region. A notable thing that they drop is the Riekling Spear, and when the Dragonborn picks it up, you can use it as arrows.

You’ll find the Riekling Spear everywhere you encounter the Rieklings. If you manage to get the Thirsk Mead Hall for the Rieklings, then you’ll find them there too. Remember, if you didn’t complete a few quests of the Reiklings then they will be hostile towards you. They aren’t that hard to fight, but when they attack in large numbers, it will become hard to deal with them. Once defeated, you can loot the Riekling Spears off of their bodies. The Riekling Spears’ ID is 04017720.
Steel Arrow
Next, we have the Steel Arrows. They are the next most abundant arrows after the Iron Arrows. Not only that, you’ll find that the Steel Arrows have good damage than the Iron Arrows too. Once you have acquired a few tons of Steel Arrows, you should move on to them because a few extra points of base damage will surely make a difference in any fight.

There are a lot of different spots where you’ll find the Steel Arrows. While checking for sources, we found out that The Drunken Huntsman and Belethor’s General Goods both always had them to tell in Whiterun. Apart from that, you can steal them from guards, Imperial or Stormclock soldiers. If you have acquired the Dawnguard expansion, you can get make the arrows at any Forge too. You’ll need these items,
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Steel Ingot
The Steel Arrows can be summoned using the Console commands. Its ID is 0001397F.
Orcish Arrow
An upgrade over the Steel Arrows, the Orcish arrows have better base damage. But with that, you must consider the fact that they are relatively harder to come across. And even though they start to appear in the world early on in the game, you won’t be rich enough to buy them.

That being said, you’ll start to get the Orcish Arrows as loot early in the game. You will find that a few higher-level bandits or Forsworn use them. In addition to that, you will find them in the Orcish camps too. But, if you want to get your hands on a larger quantity, it’s better to get them from the merchants in the cities. Not only that, you can make your own Orcish Arrows at any forge. For that, make sure that you have the following items in your inventory.
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Orichalcum
The Orcish Arrows are summoned using the ID 000139BB.
Nordic Arrow
The Nordic Arrows have the same base damage as the Dwarven Arrows. But if you are looking for something new, then they are definitely the right choice. The Nordic Arrows belong to the Nordic Armor set, which you unlock with the Advanced Armors perk. The arrows have hints of silver on them, showing that they are indeed made of Quicksilver.

You will find that there aren’t many places from where you’ll easily get the Nordic Arrows. As you level up your character, only then will the rare chance increase that you’ll find the Arrows. But you can still craft them as long as you have the Dawnguard DLC with the Advanced Armor perks. Then, you’ll need the following items to make the Nordic Arrows at any Forge.
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Quicksilver Ingot
- 1x Steel Ingot
Nordic Arrows’ ID to summon is 0402623B.
Dwarven Arrow
The Dwarven Arrows hail from the ancient Dwemer ruins. They have that distinctive black and yellow color that all Dwarven weapons have. The arrows have a yellow pointy arrowhead which shows that it deals high damage. Compared to the Nordic Arrows, they have similar base damage, but you’ll note that the Dwarven Arrows are relatively easier to acquire.

There aren’t any confirmed sellers who will sell you the Dwarven Arrows. You will have to check out each of the sellers in the major cities. But, if you head down to any of the Dwemer ruins, you’ll come across them quite easily there. In addition to that, as you level up the Dragonborn, you’ll find the Dwarven Arrows on a few higher-level bandits too.
When you get the Dwarven Smithing perk, you can make your own Dwarven Arrows. It has a lower Smithing requirement, so you can get started quickly in the game. For that, you’ll need the Dwarven Metal Ingot, which is easy to obtain from broken Dwemer machines. You’ll need these items in total.
- 1x Dwarven Metal Ingot
- 1x Firewood
You can summon the Dwarven Arrow using the console commands. The ID is 000139BC.
Elven Arrows
Up next, we have the Elven Arrows. That is where we get to the powerful arrows in our list of best arrows in Skyrim. They have a unique quiver design that makes. The Arrows have a pale yellow color that makes them quite unique among all types. Not only that, they have higher damage than all of the arrows that we’ve mentioned above.

There are several different locations in the game where you’ll find the Elven Arrows. Most notably, the Thalmor Soldiers. If you see any archer of the Thalmor Soldiers, they will definitely have the Elven Arrows on them. Apart from that, a few merchants in the cities sell these arrows. Occasionally you’ll find bandits or other enemy archers carrying them too. Lastly, if you want a confirmed location, Sorine Jurard at the Fort Dawnguard or Hestla located in Castle Volkihar will have these arrows for sale.
Like most of the Arrows in the game, you can make these at any forge. For that, you’ll need the Elven Smithing perk. That requires level 30 Smithing. Once you have it, you’ll need the following items and a Forge to make sets of 24 Elven Arrows.
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Refined Moonstone
Elven Arrows can be summoned using Console Commands. For that, you’ll need to use the following ID 000139BD.
Bloorcursed Elven Arrow
Of all of the weapons, Bloodcrused and Sunhallowed Elven Arrows are the only arrow with a special enchantment. The Bloodcursed Elven Arrows relatively favor the Vampires in the Dawnguard DLC. You unlock them when you complete the Dawnguard main quest. The enchantment on the Bloodcursed Elven Arrows affects the whole world, so they shouldn’t be slept on. Lastly, you’ll need the Auriel’s Bow to use its power. If you use any other bow, they will behave as normal Elven Arrows.

You get the Bloodcursed Elven Arrows when you complete the Main Quest of the Dawnguard DLC, ‘Touching the Sky’. In the quest, you acquire the Auriel Bow by killing Arch-Curate Vyrthur. After that, Serana offers her services that she will dip the tip of the Elven Arrows with her blood. For that, you’ll only need the Elven Arrows. But she won’t turn all of the Arrows into Bloodcursed Elven Arrows at once. You can summon these arrows using the console commands. The ID for the arrows is 020098A0.
Sunhallowed Elven Arrow
The Sunhallowed Elven Arrows are the same as the Bloodcursed arrows. But instead of covering the Sun, they increase the Sun’s intensity. The Bloodcursed Arrows have a red tip, indicating blood, but these have white tips. And the effect is quite the opposite too. The Bloodcursed arrows favor the Vampires, but these arrows have a burn effect on the enemies, which is deadly for the Vampires.

And like the Bloodcursed Elven Arrows, you will come across these Arrows in the quest ‘Touching the Sky’. Once you have defeated the Arch-Curate and acquired the Auriel’s Bow, Gelebor will provide his service to bless normal Elven Arrows. That will turn them into the Sunhallowed Elven Arrows. Like Serana, Gelebor will only bless a handful of Elven Arrows at a time. The Sunhallowed Elven Arrows can be summoned in Skyrim using Console Commands with the ID 020098A1.
Glass Arrow
A step up from the Elven Arrows and all its variations are the Glass Arrows. These arrows have a higher base damage than that Elven Arrows. And they are visually unique too. The Arrows have sharp green edges on the Arrowhead, showing that they are designed to deal great damage. They use the Malachite ingots to make.

From the Glass Arrows, we get into the list of rare Arrow types. They are often hard to find, and you can mostly only get them if you have their respective smithing perk available. Still, you’ll find the Glass Arrows in random chests at higher levels. In addition to that, Dwarven Centurions or Blacksmiths can sell these to you. There are a few higher-level bandits who seem to carry the Glass Arrows.
In addition to all that, you can use the trick to get an infinite amount of Glass Arrows. We’ll mention the trick at the end of our ranking. Similarly, like almost every other Arrow type, you can make them at the Forge. For that, you’ll need the Glass Smithing perk. With that, you’ll need these materials.
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Refined Malachite Ingot
Lastly, you can get these arrows by using the console commands in the game. The Console ID of the Glass Arrows is 000139BE.
Dwarven Sphere Centurion Arrow
The Dwarven Sphere Centurion Arrow is surely the rarest and most unique type of Arrow in the game. They are visually similar to the Dwarven Arrows. But the Dwarven Sphere Centurion Arrow has a red coloration on the arrowhead. You won’t find that feature on the normal Dwarven Arrows. Not only that, these arrows can’t be picked up and used by the Dragonborn. You can find them in the game, but they can’t be used in the game without the Console Commands.

They will be found in Markarth. There, in Calcelmo’s Dwemer Museum, which is located in the Understone Keep, you’ll find them. They are in an expert-level locked Display Case.
Ebony Arrow
Next up we have the Ebony Arrows, and from there on, we get to the end-game. The Ebony Arrows have high base damage. But unlike the Dwarven Sphere Centurion Arrows, you can craft these and use them in any fight. They are completely black, showing the Ebony ingot used to make them.

You’ll find the Ebony Arrows at different locations as soon as you get to level 40. There are a few blacksmiths in the game that will sell you the Ebony Arrows. Although if you can’t seem to get your hands on them, then you can head to Narzulbur. There, you will find the Ebony Arrows in a Shed. In addition to that, you’ll occasionally find them onto higher-level bandits or enemies that use arrows. You can find them in random chests or containers too.
Lastly, like most of the Arrows, you can make them on the Forge too. For that, you’ll need the Ebony Smithing perk. It will unlock Armor pieces that use Ebony. Once you have that, you can head on to any of the Forge and make these arrows. You’ll need these items to craft 24 Arrows.
- 1x Ebony Ingot
- 1x Firewood
As for their Console ID, it is 000139BF.
Stalhrim Arrow
Part of the Dragonborn DLC, the Stalhirm Arrow, has the same base damage as that of the Ebony Arrows. They have a unique quiver and arrow design. They use the new Stalhrim Ingot to craft. Unlike other Stalhrim armor and weapons, they don’t have the 25% extra Frost damage benefit. But If you use the Stalhrim Bow, you will get that benefit.

There aren’t that many locations where you’ll find the Stalhrim Arrows in the game. That is mainly because you won’t find them until you get to a higher player level. There are a few fixed locations in the game. Glover Mallory, found at Raven Rock, can carry up to 16 Stalhrim Arrows. You can buy these arrows from him. Apart from that, a few vendors sell the arrows to you too.
To craft them, you’ll need to complete the quest ‘A New Source of Stalhrim’. That quest will unlock the Stalhrim Armor and weapon set as long as you have Smithing 80 and Ebony Perk unlocked. Once you have done all of these, you can collect the following ingredients to make the arrows.
- 1x Firewood
- 1x Stalhrim Ingot
The console ID to summon the Stalhrim Arrows is 04026239.
Daedric Arrow
The Daedric Arrows have the second-highest base damage of all of the Arrows in Skyrim Special Edition. That is mainly because of how powerful they are. Once you have reached the level of Daedric Arrows, it is best to ensure that you aren’t wasting even a single arrow because of how valuable they are. Not only that, they are quite powerful.

The Daedric Arrows become available as the player reaches level 40. But, they won’t be available in larger quantities to the player. You’ll find that Fletcher, all across Skyrim, starts to sell to the Dragonborn. You won’t find it at the hands of bandits as they will rarely have any Daedric Arrows on them. But you can still craft them as long as you have the Dawnguard expansion. In that, you’ll need the Daedric Smithing Perk to make these arrows. Once you have these, you will require the following items.
- 1x Daedra Heart
- 1x Ebony Ingot
- 1x Firewood
As the Daedric Arrows are usually hard to get, you can acquire them using console commands. The Console ID to the Arrows is 000139C0.
Bound Arrows
There is one unique type of bow that you don’t get like other bows, but it becomes available if you are Mage. We’re talking about the Bound Arrows that require you to be a powerful conjurer to cast these special bow spells. They aren’t the typical arrows that you find in the game. You can’t loot them off of the enemies or get them by making them at any forge. Instead, you can get them by casting a certain Conjuring Spell.

You don’t come across the Bound Arrows while looting in the world of Skyrim. Instead, you get its spell which will then allow you to Conjure the Bound Bow with Bound Arrows. You’ll find the Tome: Bound Blade at Fort Amol Prison. There, when you get inside the door to the northwest, you’ll find the Tome by exploring the room. Once you acquire the Tome, you can read it to learn the spell. On an alternate, the ID to the Bound Bow Tome is 000A26F1.
When you cast the spell, you get the Bound Bow with 100 Bound Arrows. You can’t use these arrows with any other bow because as you sheath the bow, it will make the arrows disappear. The Arrows are only useful with the Bound Bow.
Dragonbone Arrow
Lastly, we have the most powerful arrows in all of Skyrim Special Edition, which is the Dragonbone Arrows. They have the greatest base damage of all arrows. The Dragonbone Arrows have brown quiver, and the arrowhead has a 3-pronged arrowhead. Making them requires the Dragon Bone. It is a rather limited source as there aren’t that many Dragons to loot Dragon Bone from them. So you will have to make do with whatever resources you have.

When looking for Dragonbone Arrows without having to make them on your own, you will realize that there aren’t that many locations in the game from where you can acquire them. After searching through Reddit for the Dragonbone Arrow location in the game, we found out that there is only one location. And that is the Soul Cairn which you’ll visit in the ‘Chasing Echoes’ quest. Even then, you need to be at least level 45 to acquire these arrows as loot.
Apart from that, you can utilize the unlimited Arrows glitch, which we’ll explain in a bit. But even for that, you need to have at least one Dragonbone Arrow to begin with. If you missed the Soul Cairn, then you can craft these arrows. For that, you’ll need to be at level 100 Smithing and have acquired the Dragon Armor perk. With that, you’ll need these items.
- 1x Dragon Bone
- 1x Firewood
As they are the hardest to acquire arrows in the game, you won’t get them until you reach the end game. If you want to get these arrows early on in the game, you’ll need to use the console commands. The Console ID of the Dragonbone Arrow in Skyrim is 020176F4.
Acquiring Unlimited Arrows
As we’ve mentioned before, there are a few arrow types that you won’t find easily in the game. They either require rare resources to craft, or you won’t find them while looting enemies or chests. That’s why we have the best trick to get your hands on Unlimited Arrows Glitch in Skyrim. The glitch will allow you to get your hand on an unlimited amount of arrows if you are up to it.
To make the glitch work, you’ll first have to get your hands on at least one arrow of that type. You can get it while exploring the world, or if the arrow is of high rarity, you can craft them with the relevant Smithing Perk. When you have that arrow, you need to give it to your follower or any NPC in the game that practices with their bow from time to time.

Other than that, you can give it to any Guard or to any character that practices with their bow. For that, you will have to pickpocket that NPC and put the arrow in their inventory while taking away the arrows that NPC usually uses. When they go practice, they will shoot with your arrow at the target. You can then pick up these arrows from the target, and you will have unlimited arrows.
Final Words
Skyrim isn’t limited to weapons and other stuff. There are several Mods that can completely change the game too. A lot of different unique Armor that you can use, such as the Nightingale Armor which is a unique light armor known for its Stealth Stats. With it, you can make the Thief Build. In addition to that, you can learn Alchemy and make yourself some powerful potions. Or, you can make yourself tons of money by using the Transmute Spell. It all depends on how you want to play the game.
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