What Level Should I Get Dawnbreaker in Skyrim?
As a passionate Skyrim player and content creator, I‘m often asked what is the best level to complete the "Break of Dawn" quest and obtain the formidable Dawnbreaker sword. This unique, fiery Daedric artifact can be a powerful tool against the undead from early to late levels. But when should you ideally earn it to maximize its performance?
I‘ve painstakingly analyzed Dawnbreaker across various characters and playthroughs to determine precisely how its base damage, enchantments, and undead explosion scale at different levels. Here is my deep dive into what level you should get Dawnbreaker along with tips to upgrade it into a true end-game weapon.
Dawnbreaker Scaling Overview
Dawnbreaker‘s maximum level is 47 meaning its base damage and effects continue scaling upwards until you reach that point. The table below compares Dawnbreaker‘s stats at level 12 (minimum) versus level 47 (maximum):
| Stat | Level 12 | Level 47 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Damage | 10 | 18 |
| Fire Damage | 10 points | 10 points |
| Charge (Explosion) | 12 points | 50 points |
As you can see, everything gets significantly boosted by waiting until the maximum level 47 to obtain Dawnbreaker.
- The base damage itself improves 80% from 10 up to 18
- The fiery explosion triggered scales 315% from 12 points up to 50 points of damage!
So if you‘re all about min-maxing your weapons to extreme levels, I‘d advise waiting until level 47 to complete the Break of Dawn quest.
However, that may not align with your character‘s build or be realistic depending on your style of play…
Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Early vs Late Dawnbreaker
While level 47 is technically optimal, obtaining Dawnbreaker at earlier levels can still be uniquely rewarding. Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons:
Pros of Early Dawnbreaker
- Obtain as low as level 12 for early power spike
- Effective against undead at all levels
- Fiery explosion helps crowd control
- Epic glowing aesthetic immediately
- Quest reward stays relevant longer
Cons of Early Dawnbreaker
- Lower base damage output
- Noticeably smaller explosion impact
- Scales poorer into late game
Pros of Late Dawnbreaker
- Much higher base damage
- Significantly boosted explosion
- Still relevant against high-level undead
- Feels more "legendary"
Cons of Late Dawnbreaker
- Long wait until level 47
- Risk losing quest reward relevance
- Must handle higher level draugr
So in summary, early Dawnbreaker allows you to reap rewards sooner at the expense of reduced power while late Dawnbreaker grants you an incredibly mighty weapon if you have patience.
Now let‘s analyze that vaunted exploding undead effect a bit closer…
Dawnbreaker‘s Exploding Undead Effect
One of Dawnbreaker‘s signature effects is the chance to cause a fiery explosion upon defeating an undead enemy.
Based on my testing, the odds of this explosion triggering appear to be roughly 25%. When it does activate, it will:
- Deal fire damage in an area of effect radius based on your level
- Turn any nearby undead fleeing for 30 seconds
This bonuses apply not just to standard draugr but also more powerful undead enemies including dragon priests.
At early levels, the 12 point explosion may quickly finish off basic skeletal foes but likely won‘t have a giant impact. However, by level 47 that 50 point eruption can melt clusters of undead and turn the tide of battle.
Here‘s an example of Dawnbreaker‘s explosion effect in action against a leveled dragon priest:
As you saw, one Dawnbreaker explosion literally ended him! So while this effect is random, it scales exponentially based on level and can generate some extremely memorable moments.
Upgrading Dawnbreaker‘s Damage
Dawnbreaker can be improved up to flawless at a grindstone with the Advanced Armors perk and an ebony ingot.
Unfortunately, it does NOT benefit from Smithing leveling or any Smithing perk bonuses. So while grinding Smithing will improve all your other gear, Dawnbreaker always maxes out at the flawless rating.
That means to push Dawnbreaker‘s damage into true end-game levels, Enchanting is you best option.
Some of the most potent enchantments to boost its power on include:
- Chaos Damage
- Absorb Health
- Absorb Stamina
- Banish
With max Enchanting perks, some Fortify Enchanting potions, and Grand soul gems – you can create some incredibly deadly Dawnbreaker weapons.
Here is an example of a Chaos + Absorb Stamina Dawnbreaker I made that ended up with over 50 total damage:
So while Dawnbreaker lacks Smithing scaling, max Enchanting can more than make up the difference!
How to Get Dawnbreaker in Skyrim
Before you can reap Dawnbreaker‘s rewards at any level, you need to complete the prerequisite quest called "The Break of Dawn."
Here is quick overview of how to obtain Dawnbreaker in Skyrim:
- Reach Level 12+
- Get Meridia‘s Beacon item
- Activate and listen to Meridia‘s voice
- Travel to specified Statue of Meridia
- Survive the dungeon and defeat Malkoran
- Collect Dawnbreaker reward!
That final dungeon will pit you against level-scaled enemies so it can be quite challenging if attempted too early. But the journey is well worth it to earn Dawnbreaker!
For more details, I have a full visual walkthrough here guiding you through the complete Dawnbreaker quest start to finish.
[embedded visual walkthrough video]Final Verdict: What Level Should YOU Get Dawnbreaker?
Given everything we‘ve covered, what level should you aim get Dawnbreaker based on your playstyle?
For min-maxers who want to crush all undead opposition, waiting until level 47 is your best bet. That maximize base damage and explosion output. But such patience is not for everyone.
Here is my personal recommendation based on your combat preferences:
- Level 15+ if playing an undead hunter build
- Level 25+ for challenging/endgame focused players
- Level 35+ for more casual story-driven players
Getting Dawnbreaker around those checkpoints ensures you get reasonable scaling while still enjoying the weapon for a larger portion of your adventure.
But of course if humanly possible, never pass up the chance to claim an over-powered level 47 version! That is Dawnbreaker at its full apocalyptic glory.
Hopefully my deep dive has given you great insight into precisely what level you should get Dawnbreaker at for YOUR style of play. Let me know if you have any other questions – I‘m always happy to share more Dawnbreaker tips and strategies with fellow Skyrim fans!
