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Elder Scrolls

For other uses, see Auriel's Bow.

Auriel's Bow is an ancient artifact that returns in The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard. It is central to the main questline and is a weapon which has a unique effect.

History[]

"The bow was said to be carried by Auri-El himself into battle against the forces of Lorkhan in ancient and mythic times. Its craftsmanship has no equal anywhere within Tamriel and possibly beyond."
Knight-Paladin Gelebor[src]

Auriel's bow was said to have been carried into battle by Auri-El against the forces of Lorkhan during the Ehlnofey wars of the Dawn Era. When Trinimac defeated Lorkhan and tore out his heart, Auri-El fastened it to an arrow and shot it long into the sea, where Red Mountain eventually formed.[1][2]

Its craftsmanship is said to have no equal in all of Tamriel. The bow draws its power from Aetherius itself, channeling it through the sun. Therefore, when an arrow is loosed from the bow, it produces a magical effect very similar to being burned by fire.

Enchantment[]

The bow enchantment deals 20 points of sun damage. This damage is tripled if the target is an undead.

In addition to the enchantment, Auriel's Bow appears to have faster draw speed than a regular bow. Fully nocking an arrow with the Quick Shot perk takes less than a second.

Usefulness[]

Auriel's bow has a lower damage value as compared to other bows, but its innate ability to inflict fire damage more than compensates for this. Players can sneak up on undead creatures and attack for a total of up to nine times damage if they have unlocked the Deadly Aim perk of the Sneak tree. The damage can be further multiplied by investing five perk points to the Overdraw perk in the Archery skill tree, increasing damage output by 100%. Its usefulness is also seen during encounters with vampires, as they not only possess a weakness to fire, but are also undead.

Acquisition[]

Auriels bow

Auriel's Bow on a pedestal

The bow is acquired in the Inner Sanctum within Forgotten Vale. It is obtained at the end of "Touching the Sky," after defeating Arch-Curate Vyrthur.

Smithing[]

It can be upgraded with a refined moonstone ingot at a grindstone and also benefits from the Elven Smithing perk, which doubles the improvement.

Arrows[]

Sun 2

Effect on Sun after shot with Sunhallowed Arrows.

In addition to regular arrows, two special types of arrows can be used with Auriel's Bow, each with their own unique effect:

Sunhallowed Arrows[]

"Causes sunburst attacks to nearby targets if shot at the sun with Auriel's Bow" Shooting a Sunhallowed Elven Arrow from Auriel's Bow at the sun will cause the sun to undergo an explosion, causing beams of harmful sunlight to rain down on all enemies similar to the effect of the Storm Call shout.

Shooting a Sunhallowed Elven Arrow from Auriel's Bow at an enemy will cause the sun damage to become an area of effect explosion at the point of impact, similar to Vampire's Bane.

Bloodcursed Arrows[]

SunEffect

Effect on Sun after shot with Bloodcursed Arrows.

"Shrouds the sun in sudden darkness when shot with Auriel's Bow" Shooting a Bloodcursed Elven Arrow from Auriel's Bow at the sun will cause a shroud of darkness around the sun, which will dissipate to reveal a black hole-like anomaly replacing the sun. This creates a false-night in which a vampire is unaffected by the daylight. This effect will continue for an entire day in-game. It can cause vampire attacks to happen inside towns during the day. 

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Unlike most other weapons, apparel that reduces the cost of Restoration spells, the school that the Sun Damage enchantment falls under, does not reduce the amount of charge used when using Auriel's Bow.
  • Characters have reactions to the bow when it is used to blacken the sky, though the comments are not to the bow itself, but more to the sky. When using the bow to darken the sun with Bloodcursed Elven Arrows, characters will comment on the changed sky when the Dragonborn decides to talk to them. Instead of their usual reactions or greetings, they will say various lines such as:
    • "This weather seems all wrong to me."
    • "The day is dark as night. What's happening?"
    • "Why does the sky look like that?"
    • "Dragons weren't enough. Now we've lost the sun, too?"
    • "Watch yourself. The sky is a bad omen."
    • "By the Eight...! Look at the sky!"
    • Hold Guards will also comment on the sky if the sun is blotted out, saying: "With a sky like that, something bad is coming."
  • While one has the bow drawn, the sound effect of crackling can be heard, as if the Dragonborn is holding a fire spell in their hand. This sound seems to only occur while the bow is drawn, not sheathed.
  • Auriel's Bow has one of the two fastest drawback times of all bows in Skyrim, the other being Zephyr. Zephyr is technically faster, however, due to its enchantment.
  • Aiming at the sun with Bloodcursed or Sunhallowed Elven Arrows, but not actually trying to shoot the arrow, will result in a brief flash in the sky of red or white, respectively. The sky does not flash if the bow is not aimed at the sun, which can help with finding the sun on cloudy days, for example.
  • Obtaining Auriel's Bow counts towards the Oblivion Walker achievement, despite not being a Daedric artifact.

Achievements[]

Main article: Achievements (Dawnguard)
Achievement Dawnguard Auriels Bow
Auriel's Bow
Use The Special Power Of Auriel's Bow
Points 20 Gamer points
Trophy
Bronze trophy


Appearances[]

References[]

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