Dawnbreaker
Base Damage: 12	Weight: 10	Base Value: 740
Additional Effects: Burns for 10 points, and if killing undead, a chance to cause a fiery explosion that turns or destroys nearby undead.
Class: One Handed, Sword
Upgrade Material: Ebony Ingot
Perk: None
FormID: 0004E4EE

Acquisition

It is a Daedric Artifact presented by Meridia upon completion of the quest The Break of Dawn.

Enchantment

Dawnbreaker bears a unique enchantment called Meridia's Retribution that works similar to soul trap in that each hit infects the target for 10 seconds, and if the target is killed within that time it may explode. Over the course of ten seconds, the chance to trigger an explosion is 1 - (.75 ^ x), where x is the number of strikes. It is not actually necessary for the killing blow that triggers the explosion to be dealt with Dawnbreaker. A second enchantment deals 10 points of fire damage on each hit.

This blast will damage any nearby undead, and can cause any survivors to flee for a short time. Undead killed in the blast will crumble into ash piles. The fiery explosion has the same visual effect and functions as the Bane of the Undead spell.

In addition, this weapon has a very high number of charges; much higher than most other enchanted weapons. Since soul gems restore a fixed amount of charge, this weapon will require more than a single Grand Soul to recharge it fully.

Smithing

The Dawnbreaker can be upgraded with an Ebony Ingot and the Arcane Blacksmith perk, however, it does not benefit from any smithing perks. This means that the weapon cannot be improved past flawless quality without boosting the Smithing skill over 100. This can be achieved by using enchanted apparel or blacksmithing potions to Fortify Smithing.

Usefulness

Despite other swords having higher damage, the special enchantment makes Dawnbreaker very useful for dealing with several Draugr at once. High-level Draugr such as a Draugr Deathlord almost always attack alongside several lower leveled ones that can be killed in a few hits. The resulting explosion instantly kills low level undead and causes the high-level Draugr to flee.

It is also an effective weapon against vampires. In addition to being very vulnerable to fire, they are also considered undead, therefore they are affected by the fiery explosion. However, if the Dragonborn is a vampire, the resulting explosion will affect them too.

Duplication exploit

Two copies of the Dawnbreaker sword can be obtained. This is achieved by casting a spell with significant kinetic force (i.e., Fire Storm, Fireball, Fire Rune, etc.) in front of the altar after defeating the Malkoran and his shades. This will cause a copy of Dawnbreaker to go flying across the room, while the original still stays where it is. Pick up the copy before obtaining the original because this ends the quest.

Bugs

•  PC   360   PS3  Does not get recharged by the perk Soul Siphon.
•  PC   360   PS3  Dawnbreaker will sometimes glow very brightly when entering a new zone.
•  PC   360   PS3  This weapon seems to be able to accidentally equip itself to the same hand as another weapon at the same time. This may be due to using the item duplication glitch above.
•  PC   360   PS3  The in-game description of the weapon's effect contains a spelling error, describing the damage bonus as a "firey" explosion. The correct spelling of this word is "fiery."
•  PC   360   PS3  If equipped with a weapon of a different kind in the left hand, Dawnbreaker may take the form of the weapon in the left. Confirmed with Daedric Sword. To fix simply un-equip and then re-equip Dawnbreaker, the weapon should now be displayed properly.
•  PC   360   PS3  Save before collecting the sword, after told to do so. Sometimes when the player is dropped back down to land by Meridia, after being summoned, the player will fall all the way to the ground.
  •  PC   ~ then TCL can prevent this but only if you know it is coming.
  •  PS3   It is possible to escape this glitch by running towards the water after the conversation with Meridia. Also try restarting the PS3 and attempting again, it's a matter of loading you out of falling before you hit the ground, if the load is too slow or the player is positioned too far uphill the player hits the ground and dies. Keep in mind that running forward too wouldn't hurt.
  •  360   Use Kinect to Quicksave before collecting the sword. if the above bug should occur, use the Quickload command before you hit the ground.
•  PC   360   PS3  When summoned to the sky a dragon may follow and attack while conversing with Meridia making returning to the ground impossible. Reloading and killing the dragon before placing the beacon will work as will backing away from the conflict in the sky and waiting for several hours, the dragon will disappear and conversation with Meridia will resume.
•  PS3   After the quest is over in the quest log it may have it labled as Dawnstar rather then Dawnbreaker.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (First appearance)