Highlights
- In Skyrim, crowd control is key to surviving battles - strategic mastery means more than brute strength.
- Unique weapons like Mehrunes' Razor and Nightingale Blade offer advantages in crowd management.
- To acquire powerful weapons like Dawnbreaker or Wuuthrad, completing challenging quests is necessary.
In the sprawling, snow-capped realm of Skyrim, adventurers have been traversing treacherous landscapes for over a decade, delving into ancient ruins, and confronting various foes. Encountering swarms of adversaries, from the undead draugr stirring in their crypts to bandit hordes lurking in the wilderness is a key aspect of Skyrim and the key to survival often lies not in the strength of a single blade or spell in this game, but in the strategic mastery of crowd control.
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The art of crowd control is an essential skill; it’s the difference between being overwhelmed by numbers and turning the tide of battle in your favor. Whether you’re a stealthy archer picking off enemies from the shadows, a conjurer weaving spells that ensnare and immobilize, or a warrior whose presence can intimidate and disrupt, knowing how to manage the battlefield is paramount in all Elder Scrolls games.
10 Mehrunes' Razor
Base Damage: Varies - 2% Instant Kill Chance
Mehrunes' Razor has the rare power to instantly dispatch an adversary with a single strike, rendering it a formidable tool against the most resilient of foes. While typically favored for its lethality in one-on-one combat, the dagger’s instant kill chance also offers a unique edge in crowd control, providing a slim possibility to thin the ranks with each swipe.
To claim this blade, one must undertake the ‘Pieces of the Past’ quest, which begins upon receiving a museum pamphlet from a courier after reaching level 20. The quest leads to the assembly of the dagger’s scattered pieces and a moral choice at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon: to kill Silus Vesuius or not.
9 The Nightingale Blade
Base Damage: 10/14 - Absorbs Health And Stamina
The Nightingale Blade is a sleek, one-handed sword; its enchantment drains the vitality and stamina of foes, making it particularly effective against strong enemies brimming with stamina. In the fray of battle, the Nightingale Blade’s life-sapping ability allows a warrior to weaken multiple opponents, making it an asset for managing crowds. Its finesse and lethality make it a silent harbinger of doom for any who faces its edge.
To find this elegant weapon, one must delve into the shadowy world of the Thieves Guild and advance through its ranks. The blade is bestowed upon those who prove their worth in the quest 'Hard Answers’.
8 Staff of Magnus
Base Damage: N/A - Absorbs Magicka And Health
The Staff of Magnus is wielded with two hands to channel its formidable power. As a bane to spellcasters, it drains their magical essence and, once depleted, their very life force. This makes it an invaluable tool in encounters with multiple mages, as it can systematically weaken their defenses and turn their power against them.
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To secure this staff, one must delve into the College of Winterhold’s questline, culminating in the perilous exploration of Labyrinthian’s depths. There, with the spectral guardians, lies the staff, a prize for those who can navigate its trials and emerge victorious from the confrontation with the dragon priest Morokei.
7 Wabbajack
Base Damage: N/A - Random Effects On A Target
This weapon thrives in the pandemonium of battle, its random enchantments sowing chaos among enemy ranks. As a tool of crowd control, it excels, for its unpredictable magic can transform, disintegrate, or even replicate foes, turning the tide of any skirmish with a mere flick.
To wield this artifact of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, players must traverse the surreal trials of ‘The Mind of Madness’ quest. Initiated by aiding the distraught Dervenin in Solitude, the quest leads to the Blue Palace’s Pelagius Wing and into the mind of a mad emperor. There, players must use the Wabbajack to navigate a series of mental challenges.
6 Dawnbreaker
Base Damage: 12 - Causes Undead To Explode
Dawnbreaker is a one-handed sword that allows for rapid, fluid combat, slicing through enemies with ease. Uniquely devastating to the undead, Dawnbreaker’s touch sets off a cascade of light, obliterating foes. Whilst appearing to not be as devastating as other weapons on this list, Dawnbreaker's ability to light up the darkness and defeat waves of the undead in one swift movement makes it an excellent weapon for crowd control in the dark caves of Skyrim.
This blade is not easily found; it is earned through the Daedric quest ‘The Break of Dawn.’ Players must be at least level 12 and find Meridia’s Beacon, which randomly appears in dungeon boss chests. Once they have the beacon, Meridia will call gamers to her shrine west of Solitude and, after placing the beacon on her shrine, they'll be tasked with purifying her temple of darkness and defeating the necromancer Malkoran. Then, and only then, can a player unlock Dawnbreaker.
5 Sanguine Rose
Base Damage: N/A - Summons A Dremora For 60 Seconds
This weapon materializes at the wielder’s command, its power drawn from the realms of Oblivion. In the heat of battle, when foes swarm and the odds are against the player, casting this staff conjures a formidable Dremora ally, tipping the scales in their favor. Ideal for crowd control, the Dremora’s presence can distract and divide enemy forces, allowing a player to manage large groups effectively.
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To earn this Daedric artifact, one must engage in the whimsical and chaotic quest ‘A Night to Remember,’ initiated by a drinking contest with the mysterious Sam Guevenne, found in any tavern once you’ve reached level 14. As the quest unfolds, players retrace a night of fun that has gone awry, culminating in a meeting with the Daedric Prince Sanguine himself, who gifts the Rose as a reward for surviving his wild challenges.
4 The Rueful Axe
Base Damage: 22 - Can Be Upgraded
A formidable weapon of deceptive weight; despite its substantial build, which might imply a two-handed grip, its design allows for one-handed use. This axe excels in combat scenarios where the adversary is singular and formidable, requiring the wielder to deliver potent, deliberate strikes rather than rapid flurries. It is effective for crowd control still, as it provides a powerful knockback to those adversaries.
Its slower swing speed is offset by the sheer force of each hit, making it ideal for engagements where strength trumps agility. Adventurers seeking to claim this unique axe must embark on the Daedric quest ‘A Daedra’s Best Friend’, navigating the moral complexities it presents to earn the right to wield this powerful armament.
3 Volendrung
Base Damage: 25 - Absorbs Stamina
Volendrung, a warhammer of daunting proportions, demands the use of both hands. This colossal weapon is a force to be reckoned with in expansive skirmishes, where its unique power to sap the stamina of numerous adversaries simultaneously can turn the tide of battle. Its hefty blows can weaken a wave of enemies.
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Those who wish to wield this mighty hammer must prove their worth by undertaking the Daedric quest known as ‘The Cursed Tribe’. Only through completing this challenge, which tests one’s strength and resolve, can the right to bear Volendrung be earned, marking the bearer as a true powerhouse on the battlefield.
2 Wuuthrad
Base Damage: 25 - 1.2X Damage To Elves
Wuuthrad demands a two-handed grip to see the axe's sweeping potential. Renowned for its elf-bane enchantment, it inflicts damage upon Elven kind, making it a weapon of legend in battles against such elves and spoken about by many in the land of Skyrim. Its broad swings are designed to cleave through adversaries' ranks, rendering it essential in large-scale conflicts where its arc can strike multiple targets simultaneously.
To claim ownership of Wuuthrad, players must embark on a quest with the Companions, gathering scattered fragments of this ancient artifact from around the map and witnessing its restoration to its former glory - a process steeped in tradition for this guild and the echoes of Nordic heroes' past. After placing the battleaxe in the hands of a statue, it can be stolen again for personal use.
1 Auriel's Bow
Base Damage: 13 - Sun Damage
Auriel’s Bow's true might is unrivaled against the undead, upon whom it inflicts devastating sun damage. The bow’s crowd control abilities are unparalleled when paired with Sunhallowed Elven Arrows, which, when fired, cause the sun to unleash fiery rays upon the earth, scattering and killing foes in a great spectacle.
To claim this celestial weapon, one must embark on the ‘Touching the Sky’ quest within the Dawnguard expansion, a journey that leads through the perilous Darkfall Cave and Forgotten Vale to confront the corrupted Arch-Curate Vyrthur.
