The stealth archer build is one of the most popular ones in Skyrim, and for good reason. Bows allow players to do so much damage from afar, without the enemy being able to react. While having the right perks to ensure damage is high and stealth is decent are a great start for such build, having a powerful bow is really what it boils down to.
Skyrim has a whole range of bows that are decent, but some of the most powerful ones can sometimes be difficult to find or get one’s hands on. While a few of these powerful bows require the player to complete specific quests, others can be found in loot and some can be crafted with the right perks and materials.
10 Supple Ancient Nord Bow
Ancient Nord bows are very common to come by when traveling in the various Nordic ruins of Skyrim. However, most of them are weak with the exception of this slightly more powerful variant, the Supple Ancient Nord Bow. While the Ancient Nord box does 8 base damage, the Supple version does almost a double of that at 14 damage points.
This bow isn’t very hard to come by. It will start to appear at higher levels as loot starts to get better. The best spot is usually a Nordic dungeon, and these bows are a staple for many Draugr and skeletons that lurk in these dungeons.
9 Falmer Supple Bow
Falmer bows are generally mid-tier when it comes to damage, dealing 12 points, but their supple version ups that base damage to 15. Unfortunately, the trade off here is the fact that the weight of supple Falmer bows is among the highest in the game, at 20 points.
The Falmer Supple Bow is usually found on the corpses of Falmer Gloomlurkers or Shadowmasters. These Falmer bows will start to appear at higher level dungeons, usually of the Dwemer kind. For a simple damage update, it’s a nice early mid-game bow.
8 Glass Bow
The Glass Bow does just as much damage as the Falmer Supple Bow, but the reason why it’s just a bit better is due to its significantly lighter carrying weight. Glass Bows do 15 damage points, and their carrying weight is 14, which is much less than their equivalent, the Falmer Supple Bow.
Even better, players with high Smithing and the Glass Smithing perk unlocked will easily be able to craft one. The requirements are one refined moonstone and two refined malachites. If Smithing isn’t an option, they can also be looted randomly in various areas as early as level 27. Merchants and blacksmiths will also sometimes sell them.
7 Glass Bow Of The Stag Prince
The Glass Bow of the Stag Prince is a unique variant of a regular Glass Bow. It can only be found if the Dragonborn DLC is installed. Head over to the island of Solstheim, and go northeast of Fort Frostmoth into a shack called the Ramshackle Trading Post.
Inside, there’s a merchant named Falas Selvayn, and he’ll usually be selling this bow. The enchantment on it is quite unique, which is what makes it worthwhile. For every 20 animals killed, the Dragonborn receives a special blessing of the Stag Prince, which can stack up to 80 animal kills. Every blessing received increases Health and Stamina by 5 points.
6 Ebony Bow
Ebony Bows are the next step from Glass Bows when it comes to random loot in chests. Once the player reaches level 36, they’ll start to notice these bows and many other ebony items spawning in chests and on various enemies.
The Ebony Bow is decently powerful. Its base damage is 17, and it can be crafted pretty easily if the Dragonborn is specialized in Smithing and has the right perks. The Ebony Smithing perk is needed to make an Ebony Bow, along with three Ebony ingots. As mentioned, post-level 37 this should be fairly common loot and can be purchased from blacksmiths and general merchants as well.
5 Stahlrim Bow
The Stahlrim Bow is a very special and unique kind of bow that only appears in the Dragonborn DLC. It has the same damage as ebony bows, but it’s slightly lighter at 15 carrying weight. That being said, what makes it special is that frost enchantments will always be 25% more potent when put on Stahlrim bows.
These bows appear in loot on the island of Solstheim, and can also be purchased from two different merchants on the island. Either head to Skaal Village and speak with Baldor Iron-Shaper or go to Raven Rock and talk to Glover Mallory. To create one, the player needs the Ebony Smithing perk, as well as three pieces of Stahlrim.
4 Daedric Bow
The Daedric bow is definitely closer to end game damage and gear. In order to find one easily, the player should level up to 46. They’ll begin to appear in chests and other loot, and Revered Dragons might occasionally contain them as loot as well. It deals 19 damage.
There are a few locations where one is guaranteed to buy one. Both Niranye and Tonilia from the Thieves Guild will sell one after level 47. There’s also one naturally generated on the corpse of an archer in Brood Cavern in Hjaalmarch, down by the river south of Morthal. Syndus at the Ragged Flagon will also sell one, though keep in mind any of these will appear after level 47.
3 Nightingale Bow (Level 46)
The Nightingale Bow is a pretty unique weapon, because it’s a leveled reward that has five different versions of it. To get its best version, the player should wait until level 46 or higher before completing the relevant Thieves Guild main quest called Blindsighted. To make it easy, just don’t touch any of the Thieves Guild quests until level 46.
At its highest level, the Nightingale Bow does 19 damage, as well as deals 30 frost and 15 shock damage. This is what makes it even better than a base Daedric Bow, although with high enough Enchanting and Smithing perks a Daedric Bow made by the player has the chance of being just as good, if not better.
2 Dragonbone Bow
Unique bows aside, Dragonbone Bows are the best bows in the game. Unfortunately, they’re also incredibly heavy. While they deal a whopping 20 points of base damage, they also weigh 20 points, which puts a huge dent into anyone’s inventory.
The easiest way to get one is to actually craft one. It requires an extremely high Smithing of level 100 and the Dragon Armor perk. For its ingredients, the player will need two Dragon Bones and one Ebony Ingot. There’s also a Keeper in Soul Cairn who has a Dragonbone Bow, which can be looted off of him provided the player is level 45 or higher.
1 Karliah’s Bow
Technically, the Dragonbone Bow is the best bow in the game. However, if the player isn’t beyond cheating and is looking for the absolute best of the best, there’s no question about Karliah’s bow being the ultimate best bow in the entirety of Skyrim, when it comes to pure, base damage only.
Karliah’s bow is very light at only 9 carrying weight, but deals an insane amount of 25 points of damage. To get this, the player will need to use the following command: player.additem 000DEED8.
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