Elder Scrolls
Register
Advertisement
Elder Scrolls
IronArrow SK

Iron arrow in Skyrim.

See also: Arrow and Arrows

Arrows are used in conjunction with bows to provide a method for attacking at long range. Their effectiveness is dependent upon the Archery skill plus the quality of the bow that shoots them. Arrows cannot be sharpened on a grindstone nor enchanted (unlike bows). Arrows are one of the few weapons that cannot be crafted at an ordinary forge. In Dawnguard, however, arrows can be crafted at a forge.

Mechanics[]

Unlike arrows in previous The Elder Scrolls games, arrows in Skyrim weigh nothing. This allows the Dragonborn to carry an infinite number of arrows. An arrow has a fixed damage score, which combines with the damage score of the bow to determine the amount of damage inflicted by a single shot; however, the type of bow used has the greater impact on damage.

Acquisition[]

"Keep your arrows in their quiver, archer."
Hold Guard[src]
  • Arrows can be purchased from any blacksmith. Arrows in large quantities can be purchased from Fletcher in Solitude or The Drunken Huntsman in Whiterun. However, the variety of arrows available for purchase will vary by the Dragonborn's level.
  • Rarely when shot at by enemies, the arrows that hit the Dragonborn may be added to their inventory.
  • They can be looted from most NPCs that wield bows, such as bandits and hunters.
  • With Dawnguard installed, arrows can be crafted at a blacksmith's forge.
  • Arrows can be taken from practice dummies used by NPCs with bows (most commonly Hold Guards).
  • Some arrows used to kill a target may be looted from their remains.

Types of arrows[]

The following is a list of arrows available:

Name DamageIcon Gold
Ancient Nord Arrow 10 1
Bloodcursed Elven Arrow DG 16 6
Daedric Arrow 24 8
Dragonbone Arrow DG 25 9
Dwarven Arrow 14 4
Dwarven Sphere Centurion Arrow 20 0
Ebony Arrow 20 7
Elven Arrow 16 5
Falmer Arrow 7 1
Forsworn Arrow 7 1
Glass Arrow 18 6
Iron Arrow 8 1
Nordic Arrow DR 14 4
Orcish Arrow 12 3
Practice Arrow 0 0
Riekling Spear DR 10 2
Rusty Arrow 4 0
Stalhrim Arrow DR 20 7
Steel Arrow 10 2
Sunhallowed Elven Arrow DG 16 16

Unlimited arrows[]

  • An unlimited number of arrows (usually steel) can be obtained from NPCs that are doing target practice. Arrow farming is most common at: the Great Porch in Whiterun, the Castle Dour courtyard in Solitude, and the Ragged Flagon Cistern.
    • The type of arrows being used for target practice can be changed. The Dragonborn can pick the archer's pocket, remove whatever arrows they have currently, then replace them with one arrow of the type desired. This is best done while the target is asleep, as if they are awake, the Perfect Touch perk is required to take their equipped arrows. The practicing archer will then fire an unlimited number of that type of arrows.
  • In the Castle Dour courtyard in Solitude, the arrow farming process can be slowed by a bug which causes only one of the archers to fire at his target. This is because the other guard is off of his set path. He is too close to the other archer and will stare him down instead of shooting his own target. This can be fixed by moving him farther over by either sneak-pushing or sprinting at him.
  • A follower can be made to use the desired type of arrow by putting a single arrow of the desired type in their inventory and then removing all other arrows. When they use their default bow, they will shoot only that arrow type. They can then be harvested from the ground and/or enemies after the follower has engaged in battle.
  • During The World-Eater's Eyrie (part of the main questline), outside Skuldafn, it is possible to farm an infinite number of ebony arrows. The Dragonborn can go into the city and allow one of the Draugr Deathlords with a bow to attack from a wall. Arrows that are successfully dodged can be picked up from the ground. After a large number of arrows have been shot, noticed at 150+, occasionally the arrows will be no longer be rendered on the ground, though they can still cause damage. This bug seems to be fixed by moving to a location with dirt and allowing arrows to stick into the ground. The first will not be able to be picked up, but subsequent arrows will, and farming can continue.
  • If the Bound Bow spell is used without any arrows equipped, the Dragonborn will receive 100 bound arrows. Anytime the arrows run out, the spell can simply be sheathed and cast again. Each bound arrow is similar to a Daedric arrow, so likewise, they inflict 24 damage.
  • In Civil War quests, the Dragonborn may be required to lay siege to a city. During the battle the Dragonborn is given an objective, like lowering the bridge in the Battle for Whiterun. While fighting to complete the task, other soldiers are fighting waves of unlimited enemies that will only stop spawning by completing the assigned objective. As long as the objective is not met, unlimited steel arrows can be looted from the dead, although the bodies disappear quickly. There are usually 10–20 arrows on each body.
  • After discovering Sky Haven Temple and when the Blades reside there, Delphine will practice several times a day at the outside targets. This will yield 30–40 arrows per practice session.

Trivia[]

  • Shooting an item that an arrow will stick to and which can also be picked up, such as cheese, will not get back the arrow(s) when the item is picked up. Thus, it is best to use arrows that are easily obtained, such as Iron or Ancient Nord arrows when shooting down items.
  • Arrows shot into the ground will remain in whatever angle they were shot at until the area is reloaded (i.e., player character fast travels away and then comes back later), whereupon they will now be floating slightly above the ground in a vertical position.
  • The catapult ammo used in Japhet's Folly and the Skyrim Civil War are able to be collected as arrows and used via running out of arrows of another kind and switching to them automatically. Using console commands you can add the "dunJaphetsFollyCWCatapultAmmo" can be added by id 961D6 and "CWCatapultAmmo" by id 73FE6.
  • With Dawnguard DLC the Dragonborn can add the elder scroll arrow found on Serana's back with id xx01a985.
  • Khajiit Caravans do not sell arrows.

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Arrows (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
  3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
  •  360   Sometimes, when currently-equipped arrows are sold or stored, they may remain visible on the Dragonborn's back. However, they are not in the inventory and thus are not usable.
  •  PS3   Occasionally, when an arrow is shot directly below the Dragonborn, it will multiply.
  •  360   Shooting arrows near the camp fire in any Giant's camp will show the arrow hovering in midair. They can be picked up.


Advertisement