How much damage does bound dagger do?

As a passionate Skyrim player and expert on all things related to Tamriel, this is a question I get asked a lot by newer Dragonborn looking to maximize their damage output. In this in-depth guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about the Bound Dagger‘s base damage, how to improve it, and how it stacks up against other weapons in the game.

Bound Dagger‘s Base Damage

The Bound Dagger is a master-level Conjuration spell that summons a spectral ethereal dagger for 120 seconds. On its own, the Bound Dagger has a base damage of 6 points. This means it will deal between 4-12 points of damage per hit to an enemy.

Compared to other daggers like the Daedric Dagger (11 base damage) or the Blade of Woe (10 base damage), the base Bound Dagger is on the weaker side. However, as you‘ll see, there are ways to dramatically increase its power.

Improving Damage with Perks

The key to getting the most out of bound weapons lies in the Conjuration skill tree. At level 20, you can unlock the ‘‘Mystic Binding‘‘ perk, which boosts all bound weapons‘ damage by 50%.

This perk brings the Bound Dagger‘s damage up to 10 points, meaning it will now deal between 8-16 damage per hit instead. Much more respectable!

But we can push it even further…

Additional Damage Boosts

On top of Mystic Binding, here are some other methods to amplify the Bound Dagger‘s damage:

• One-Handed weapon perks like Armsman and Dual Flurry
• Fortify One-Handed enchantments and potions
• The Extra Effect perk to add Paralysis or Drain Health enchantments
• Poisons created through Alchemy

With all bonuses accounted for, you can realistically get the Bound Dagger up to around 25-30 damage per hit. Enough to inflict some serious pain!

I estimate about a 200-300% total increase in damage from just using perks, enchanting, alchemy and smart offensive tactics.

Comparing Bound Dagger Damage

Now you might be wondering – with all these damage amplifiers, how good is the Bound Dagger really? Let‘s compare it to some of Skyrim‘s most powerful daggers:

A few things stand out:

• The Bound Dagger competes with the strongest non-artifact daggers once perked
• Its additional effects like soul trap give it extra utility
• It has the potential to out-damage any dagger with enough bonuses

So while daggers like the Mehrunes‘ Razor have unique properties, a properly buffed Bound Dagger can compete and even surpass them in raw damage.

Is the Bound Dagger Worth It?

In my hundreds of hours playing a sneaky assassin build, I can confidently say that the Bound Dagger remains one of my most-used and favorite weapons even late into a playthrough.

Here‘s why it‘s so good:

• Available early for pure mages
• Scales exceptionally well with offensive boosts
• Inflicts a lot of DPS with dual wielding
• Free soul trap frees up enchantments
• Zero weight is perfect for carrying extra loot

My verdict – the Bound Dagger absolutely ranks among Skyrim‘s top damage-dealing daggers. Any stealth character would be wise to add this spectral blade to their arsenal. Just watch those health bars melt away!

Let me know if you have any other questions about maximizing your damage with this awesome conjured weapon!