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Notched Pickaxe
Base Damage: 5	Weight: 10	Base Value: 150
Additional Effects: Raises the wielder's Smithing abilities, and does 6 shock damage to enemies on hit
Class: One-Handed
Upgrade Material: Iron Ingot
FormID: 001019D4

The Notched Pickaxe is a unique pickaxe found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Its appearance is identical to a regular pickaxe, but it does possess a unique enchantment.

Location

It can be found at the very top of the Throat of the World. The only way to get there is upon completion of the quest The Throat of the World. Just to the side of the time wound is a slope that can be climbed to reach the summit. The pickaxe lies just below the peak, embedded into the rock.

Attributes

The pickaxe grants the player +5 towards Smithing, (does not break the cap of 100, a player with 100 smithing will not gain increased skill). When used as a weapon, inflicts 5-7 shock damage in addition to its regular damage.

The Notched Pickaxe can be disenchanted to learn the unique "Notched Pickaxe" enchantment, which can be used to enchant other weapons.

Trivia

• Points towards Smithing are capped at 5. The shock damage varies as per standard Enchanting rules.
• Dual Wielding two enchanted Notched Pickaxes does not increase the smithing bonus over 5.
• The Notched Pickaxe is the only pickaxe known that can be upgraded by Smithing.
• The base value of the pickaxe is 303 . With the right perks, accessories, and smithing upgrades, the Notched Pickaxe can do close to 100 damage.

Allusions

Minecraft

Believed by some to be a reference to "Notch," the creator of Minecraft, as pickaxes are tools prominently featured in Minecraft. In addition, the Notched Pickaxe gives a bonus to Smithing, a skill similar to crafting items in Minecraft. This may not be the case, however, because Notch's company, Mojang AB, was sued by Zenimax, the Parent Company of Bethesda Softworks (developers of The Elder Scrolls) for attempting to trademark the word "Scrolls" as the title of Mojang's new game.

Everest explorers

The pickaxe may also be a reference to the English mountaineers Geroge Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine who disappeared while climbing Mount Everest in June 1924. Many search attempts were made to try and find Mallory and Irvine but were unsuccessful in doing so - the only discovery made for 75 years and several search attempts was a pickaxe a few hundred meters from the top, thought to belong to Irvine. Irvine marked his equipment, so the "Notched" prefix may refer to those markings.