Elder Scrolls
Register
Advertisement
Elder Scrolls

For other uses, see Mehrunes' Razor.
"I am pleased, mortal. I will give you my Razor. Use it to wreak havoc on Tamriel."
Mehrunes Dagon[src]

Mehrunes' Razor, also known as The Dagger of the Final Wounds, Bane of the Righteous and Kingslayer,[1] is a Daedric artifact found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The dagger is one of the artifacts and namesakes of Mehrunes Dagon.

Design

It is a small black and silver dagger with the Daedric character for the letter "O," Daedric O engraved halfway along the scabbard. The blade itself is unique, sporting a curved crossguard, a black metal inset inside the blade, and a pommel stone unique only to this dagger.

Enchantment

The unique enchantment grants the bearer a 1.98%[note 1] chance to instantly kill almost any opponent. The Razor has infinite charges, meaning it will never require recharging with a soul gem.

Two individuals are completely immune to the instant kill effect, however. They are Miraak and Karstaag—both part of the Dragonborn add-on.[note 2] Furthermore, the Ebony WarriorDR can reflect the instant kill back onto the player if it activates on the hit triggering his "Reflect Blows" Heavy Armor perk.

Acquisition

Mehrunes' Razor is obtained upon completion of the quest "Pieces of the Past." It will only be awarded if the Dragonborn chooses to kill Silus Vesuius. Otherwise, a grateful Silus will head safely back to his museum and place the Razor's fragments into a sealed display case which can't be interacted with.

The Razor itself is composed of four distinct parts.

Smithing

The Razor 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 items and/or smithing potions to fortify Smithing.

Usefulness

Its lightweight quality and 1.98% chance to instantly kill any opponent makes the Razor a useful weapon for all classes or styles of play. It is more effective when equipped on the left hand while dual wielding blades, because, during a power attack, the left arm swings twice whereas the right arm swings once. Using it with Valdr's Lucky Dagger is a fairly powerful combination.

Gallery

Trivia

  • Mehrunes' Razor has the same base damage as a Daedric dagger, although weighs less.
  • According to legend, it is believed that the Dark Brotherhood was once decimated by a vicious internal power struggle that involved the Razor.[2]
  • Approaching a guard with the Razor will prompt them to whistle and respond "Who did you have to kill to get that blade?"
  • Along with the Skull of Corruption, and the Ring of Namira it is possible to miss out on the Razor if the Dragonborn refuses Dagon's request to kill Silus. Therefore, it is possible to miss the Oblivion Walker achievement/trophy if another Daedric artifact has been missed.
  • Even though Mehrunes' Razor has a 1.98% chance of instant killing enemies, it does not work when fighting Karstaag.
  • When fighting the Ebony Warrior, the dagger's enchantment can be reflected to the Dragonborn instant killing them since the Ebony Warrior can reflect attacks.
  • Mehrunes' Razor's critical hit does not do a set amount of bonus damage, but instead kills the target directly via script.
  • The only characters that are immune to Mehrunes' Razor are Miraak and Karstaag, as they are in a faction which prevents the script from killing them.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Mehrunes' Razor (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.
  •  PC   360   PS3   Casting Fire Storm or Voice of the Emperor while facing the display case will sometimes cause the item to glitch out of the case.
  •  PC   360   PS3   Storing Mehrunes' Razor (or any dagger), inside the dagger cases in the bedroom of Hjerim makes it impossible to retrieve it without console commands.

Appearances

Footnotes

  1. The DA07MehrunesRazorMagicEffectScript script reveals the enchantment grants a 1 percent chance to kill the target. However it uses the RandomInt() that generates a number between 0 and 100 and if the number is <=1 it kills the target, hence the % to kill is 1.98%.
  2. Game data shows both are part of the "Characters Immune to Mehrunes Razor" faction.
Advertisement