Daggers (Skyrim)

The Dagger is a light, One-Handed weapon with a short blade, hilt, and handle that is found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Even though the dagger doesn't do as much damage per hit as other One-Handed weapons like the Sword, Mace, or War Axe, the dagger's attack speed is often (40%) faster, allowing the wielding character to be more nimble and making the dagger a very suitable weapon for the Thief. The player's Blade skill and Strength attributes govern the speed, accuracy, and amount of damage applied in the dagger attack.

Since the dagger has a (40%) shorter reach than a longsword, it is suitable for fighting in close quarters and using when you want to avoid hitting friendly NPCs or creatures. As the weakest variant of the weapon types available in Tamriel, the dagger is usually the first weapon of rarer materials that the player is likely to find after reaching the appropriate level.

Note also, that the dagger, being the smallest of the wieldable weapons, is the weakest one to use for blocking, since weapons larger than the blocking weapon will force damage through, i.e., a claymore will easily penetrate a dagger's block (although some damage is still absorbed by the dagger).

Weapon stats
Note that each dagger has an attack Speed of 1.4 and a maximum Reach of 0.6. These two statistics are consistent for all daggers regardless of material; therefore, they are not included in the table below.

Notes:
 * "Base Value" refers to the actual value without mercantile or disposition affecting it.
 * "Max. Damage" refers to the maximum amount of damage an item can do, assuming maximum stats and skill.
 * "Health" refers to a weapon's durability.