Arrows (Skyrim)

"I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee..."

- Guard

 focuses on arrows as they appear in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Mechanics
Arrows in Skyrim have changed from previous Elder Scrolls games. One major factor is the removal of the weight from arrows. Arrows no longer add to the player's encumbrance allowing players to carry an unlimited number of arrows. Arrows have a fixed damage value which is added to the bow's damage value to determine total damage done. The bow still has the greater factor in the total damage, however

Acquisition

 * Arrows can be purchased from Blacksmiths in limited quantities. Arrow strength is contingent upon Character Level. Arrows in larger quantities can be purchased from Fletcher in Solitude or The Drunken Huntsmen in Whiterun.
 * Enemies that wield bows, such as guards and bandits, drop arrows.
 * With the implication of Dawnguard, arrows can now be crafted at a forge.

Types of arrows
The following is a table of the arrows as they appear in Skyrim.

There is also a type of arrow called Nord Hero Arrows. They aren't nomally used in game, but they appear to be a cleaned version of rusty arrows. They do 24 damage, like Daedric Arrows.

Unlimited arrows

 * An unlimited supply of arrows can be obtained by NPCs doing target practice (like in the Ragged Flagon Cistern). If you reverse pickpocket a single arrow of the type you want duplicated, and remove any other arrow types in their inventory, they will begin to shoot the arrow you gave them, allowing you to pick up arrows from the targets. This is easier with the pickpocket perk Misdirection, but it can be done when the NPC is sleeping if you don't have that perk.
 * Another way of getting a great supply of arrows is by going near the thief in the Cistern, shooting arrows into the dummy. You will be able to get a maximum amount of 30 arrows in one bunch. To retrieve them, jump into the water (there is sometimes a glitch of you walking on water when this is done) and retrieve them manually. When the dummy is out of arrows, you have to wait a great amount of time in the Cistern (without using the wait button). This is the longer easier way to retrieve arrows in Skyrim.
 * During the part of the main quest "The World Eater's Eyrie," (outside Skuldafn) it is possible to farm an infinite number of ebony arrows. Simply go into part of the city and get one of the Draugr Deathlords with a bow to attack you from a wall. Dodge the arrows he shoots and you can pick them up from the ground. After a large number of arrows are shot (noticed at 150+), occasionally the arrows will be no longer be rendered on the ground (they can still damage the player, however). This bug seems to be fixed (at least temporarily) by moving to a location with dirt and allowing arrows to stick into the ground. The first will not be able to be picked up, but subsequent arrows will, and farming can continue.
 * Go to Dragonreach and enter the "Great Porch" (I've gone at different times 9:00am and 8:00pm game time). An archer will be practicing and for the next three game hours, you can collect steel arrows to your heart's content.
 * If you enter the Castle Dour courtyard in Solitude, you can find an archer shooting steel arrows into a target. If you wait till the end of the day when he goes to bed, you can change the arrows that he shoots by pick pocketing his steel arrows and drop pocketing any other arrow to your liking. The guard will no longer shoot steel arrows and will shoot whatever you've replaced them with, infinitely. Just collect them from the target.
 * You can also give the guard a new set of arrows simply by shooting one at him. This will give you a bounty, and the guard will for a while only shoot the arrow type you shot at him.
 * A great technique to use that works better with the perk Quiet Casting is to have high level conjuration and constantly use the spell Bound Bow with no arrows equipped. This creates one-hundred bound arrows to use. Combine this with sneaking it causes a mostly fatal amount of damage (depending on level). This is a great technique to use with assassination missions or just as a regular bow since it doesn't require you to carry and bow, which may weigh you down. It also means you can sell all of the arrows you find without worry. When the hundred arrows run out just sheath and cast again, but if your aiming with the amount of time you have it's doubtful the arrows will run out before the spell. Each arrow is a spirited representation of a Daedric Arrow so likewise, it does 24 damage.
 * Put a single arrow of the desired type in your follower's inventory and remove all other arrows and bows. When they use their default bow, they will be shooting these arrows, which you can then pick up off the ground and from dead bodies.
 * In the missions that require you to battle in a city and take it over during the civil war( Solitude, Whiterun, Windhelm) you are given a certain task, like dropping the bridge in "The Battle for Whiterun" and in the mean time, your fellow soldiers are fighting the waves of unlimited enemies, in which this can be stopped by doing the completed task. If you stay and fight the enemy soldiers, you can just loot their bodies for steel arrows. There is usually 10-20 arrows on each body, keep killing soldiers and loot their bodies until you're satisfied.
 * After you have discovered Sky Haven temple and the blades reside there, Delphine will several times a day practice shooting the targets in the outside target range. This will give you 30-40 arrows per bunch.

Meme
Since the release of Skyrim, the Arrow became a meme. This sprouted because Guards sometimes say: "I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee..." The phrase first appeared as a meme on GameFAQs.com on November 11th, 2011, the day of Skyrim 's official release. On November 30th, the meme debuted on webcomic hosting site, ICanHasCheezburger. Five days before, Urban dictionary added an entry on "Arrow-Knee", which was defined as "The affliction of taking an arrow in the knee". A avatar prop was added to the Xbox live avatar store in which a avatar would take a arrow to the knee.

Trivia

 * Interestingly enough, shooting an item that an arrow will stick to and can also be picked up, such as cheese, will not give back the arrow(s) when the item is picked up.
 * Shooting arrows near the camp fire in any giants camp will show the arrow hovering in midair. They can be picked up.