The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim Special Edition One Handed Weapons Tips

This is a post about the ups and downs of one handed weapons in Skyrim along with some of my personal opinions. One handed weapons are the most flexible weapons in the game. The main reason being that they will only take up one hand and you can use the other hand for something else.

Main differences between one handed weapons.


Swords- Swords are the second quickest one handed weapon and deal the second least amount of damage. However they can make up for it with perks that can increase the chances of getting a critical hit. A critical hit will will multiply the damage of that hit by a certain amount.




War Axes- These deal the second highest amount of damage, but are slower than swords. The perks for this weapon will have the opponent accumulate more damage through bleeding. This will cause damage over time and is good for dealing with long battles.






Maces- Maces deal the most damage and are the slowest among the one handed weapons. However the perks for this weapon will allow you to ignore a certain amount of the enemies armor. This is especially useful against heavily armored opponents.






Daggers- Daggers are the quickest weapons, but have the lowest damage in battle. There are no specific perks for this weapon in the main perk tree, but there are great perks for it in the sneak tree. These perks will multiply the damage of the daggers with sneak attacks a great many times, but are useless in combat. This works best in surprise attacks against a single enemy.

Possible combinations.
        One handed weapon plus a shield. By doing this you can add additional armor to yourself reducing the physical damage you take. You will also be able to use the shield as a weapon for minor damage, blocking your enemies attacks, and stunning the enemy. However this combination will take more personal skill to be effective.
         One handed weapon plus a healing spell. By doing this you can be a very effective tank in the game. You will be able to confront an enemy close range and when you are low on health pull back slightly and heal yourself. There is also a perk in the restoration skill tree to recover your stamina with these spells. This will allow you to do more power attacks in battle.
        One handed weapon plus another one handed weapon. With this you will be able to perform quicker strikes and raise the damage you deal to your enemies. However you lose the ability to block attacks in doing so.

        One handed weapon plus an empty hand. This is not something I would recommend. You will be able to block with your weapon, but this is inferior to blocking with a shield. Nothing exceptional with this.
        One handed weapon plus an attack magic. You will be able to deal damage to your enemies from a distance until you reach them and can attack them with your weapon. This can be effective and may vary depending on the enemy. Some enemies are immune to certain spells so you may have to switch between spells. This will take longer.
        One handed weapon plus a mix of the above combinations. This is what I recommend the most. You can switch between dual wielding two one handed weapons for more damage, and retreat to heal yourself when your health is low. You will have a strong attack and will be hard to kill. You just have to time your retreats right so that you have enough time to heal yourself. You may also do a different combination.

As I said earlier one handed weapons offer the most freedom in your attacks depending on how you like to play. I hope you like the info.