Harkon’s Sword: Is It Worth Wielding in Skyrim?

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The question plaguing many a Dragonborn, especially those flirting with the darker side, is this: Is Harkon’s Sword worth it? The answer, like many things in Skyrim, is a resounding “it depends.” Harkon’s Sword, acquired from the vampire lord himself upon his defeat in the Dawnguard DLC, possesses a unique enchantment that drains health, magicka, and stamina from your foes. However, this enchantment only activates if the wielder is a vampire. Without vampirism, it’s just a slightly underpowered, but smithable, one-handed sword. If you embrace the night and all its perks (and drawbacks), then Harkon’s Sword becomes a powerful tool. Otherwise, you’re better off sticking with Dragonbane or Dawnbreaker.

Diving Deep: Strengths and Weaknesses

Harkon’s Sword is unique, not because of its base damage (which is frankly, unremarkable), but because of its powerful vampiric enchantment. This enchantment steals 15 points of health, magicka, and stamina with each strike. For a vampire character, especially early on, this provides incredible survivability. You’re essentially healing yourself with every swing, while simultaneously weakening your opponent.

The Good

• Sustained Combat: The health drain is the most significant benefit, allowing you to stay in combat longer without relying as heavily on potions or healing spells.
• Versatile Offense: Draining magicka and stamina can cripple enemy mages and power attackers, giving you a distinct advantage.
• Upgradeable: While its base damage isn’t stellar, you can improve Harkon’s Sword through smithing, albeit without any special perks.
• Early Acquisition: You can obtain Harkon’s Sword relatively early in the game, provided you trigger the Dawnguard DLC.
• One-Handed Weapon: Its one-handed nature allows you to pair it with a spell or another weapon, maximizing your combat options.

The Bad

• Vampire Dependency: The biggest drawback! The enchantment is utterly useless if you’re not a vampire. If you cure your vampirism, the enchantment ceases to function.
• Soul Gem Hunger: Every time the enchantment activates, it consumes soul gems, even if the target is undead. Meaning you’ll need to keep a healthy supply of charged soul gems or risk losing the sword’s most significant advantage.
• Base Damage: The base damage is considerably lower than other readily available swords, like the Blades Sword, making it less effective against heavily armored enemies.
• Late-Game Scaling: As you level up and acquire better gear, Harkon’s Sword begins to lose some of its luster. Other weapons will eventually outpace it in raw damage potential.

Harkon’s Sword in Practice: Build Synergies

To truly unleash the potential of Harkon’s Sword, consider the following build synergies:

• Vampire Lord Build: Naturally, the Vampire Lord transformation is perfectly suited to Harkon’s Sword. The sword provides excellent sustain during human form combat, allowing you to save your Vampire Lord form for tougher encounters.

• Spellsword Vampire: Combine Harkon’s Sword with destruction magic. Use the sword to drain health and stamina while using spells for ranged damage or crowd control. The magicka drain is especially useful in disrupting enemy spellcasters.

• Dual-Wielding Vampire: Pair Harkon’s Sword with another weapon like a dagger (for sneak attacks) or another sword with a different enchantment. This gives you flexibility in combat and allows you to adapt to different enemy types.

Ultimately, the “worth” of Harkon’s Sword boils down to personal playstyle and commitment to the vampire path. For dedicated bloodsuckers, it’s a valuable and thematically appropriate weapon. For everyone else, there are simply better options. As scholars, enthusiasts, and educators explore the intersection of gaming and learning, resources such as the Games Learning Society and GamesLearningSociety.org become increasingly relevant, providing platforms for research, collaboration, and innovation in the realm of game-based education.

Frequently Asked Questions About Harkon’s Sword

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to provide further insight into Harkon’s Sword:

1. Can you get Harkon’s sword if you side with the Dawnguard? Yes, regardless of whether you side with the Dawnguard or the Volkihar vampires, you will always get the chance to obtain Harkon’s Sword after defeating him in the final quest of the Dawnguard DLC.

2. Is Harkon’s Sword affected by weapon smithing perks? No, unfortunately Harkon’s Sword does not benefit from any specific smithing perks. However, it can still be improved at a grindstone with the necessary smithing skill.

3. Does the enchantment on Harkon’s Sword stack with other enchantments? Yes, the enchantment on Harkon’s Sword functions independently of other enchantments on your armor or other weapons. You can combine it with armor that enhances one-handed weapons, for example.

4. What happens if I cure my vampirism after obtaining Harkon’s Sword? If you cure your vampirism, the unique enchantment on Harkon’s Sword will cease to function. It will still be a usable sword, but without its health, magicka, and stamina drain.

5. How much does Harkon’s sword base damage increase when smithing? The base damage increase depends on your smithing skill level and any relevant enchantments or potions that boost your smithing ability.

6. Does fortify one-handed affect the health drain from Harkon’s Sword? No, the fortify one-handed skill only affects the base damage of the sword. The amount of health, stamina, and magicka drained by the enchantment remains constant at 15 points per hit.

7. Does the amount drained from the Harkon’s Sword enchantment increase with level? No, the amount of health, stamina, and magicka drained by the enchantment remains constant at 15 points per hit, regardless of your level.

8. What is the weight and base damage of Harkon’s Sword? Harkon’s Sword weighs 13 units and has a base damage of 11.

9. How do I charge soul gems to keep Harkon’s Sword enchantment active? You can charge soul gems by using the Soul Trap spell on enemies before killing them or by using weapons with the Soul Trap enchantment. Alternatively, you can buy filled soul gems from merchants.

10. Does the difficulty setting affect the effectiveness of Harkon’s Sword? Yes, on higher difficulty settings, enemies have more health, making the health drain from Harkon’s Sword relatively less impactful compared to lower difficulty settings.

11. Can I disenchant Harkon’s Sword to learn its enchantment? No, Harkon’s Sword is a unique item and cannot be disenchanted. Its unique enchantment is exclusive to the sword.

12. Is Harkon’s Sword better than the Blade of Woe for a vampire character? The Blade of Woe has a higher base damage and a different enchantment (absorb health), making it a good alternative. The better choice depends on your preferred playstyle and the specific enchantments you’re looking for.

13. Does Harkon’s Sword work on undead enemies? Yes, the enchantment on Harkon’s Sword affects all enemies, including undead creatures like Draugr and skeletons.

14. Can I get multiple copies of Harkon’s Sword in a single playthrough? No, you can only obtain Harkon’s Sword once per playthrough.

15. Is there a mod that makes Harkon’s Sword more powerful or versatile? Yes, many mods on sites like NexusMods modify Harkon’s Sword, enhancing its enchantment, increasing its base damage, or adding new functionalities. Searching for “Harkon’s Sword mod Skyrim” will yield numerous options.