Auriel's Bow (Dawnguard)

"The bow was said to be carried by Auri-El himself into battle against the forces of Lorkhan in ancient and mythic times. Its craftsmanship has no equal anywhere within Tamriel and possibly beyond."

- Knight-Paladin Gelebor

Auriel's Bow is an ancient artifact that returns in. It is central to the main questline and has a unique effect unlike any other weapon.

History
The bow was said to have been carried into battle by Auri-El himself against the forces of Lorkhan during the Ehlnofey wars of the Dawn Era. When Trinimac defeated Lorkhan and tore out his heart, Auri-El fastened it to an arrow and shot it long into the sea, where Red Mountain eventually formed.

Its craftsmanship is said to have no equal in all of Tamriel. The bow draws its power from Aetherius itself, channeling it through the sun. Therefore, when an arrow is loosed from the bow, it produces a magical effect very similar to being burned by fire.

Enchantment
The bow enchantment deals 20 points of Sun Damage. This damage is tripled if the target is an undead.

In addition to the enchantment, Auriel's Bow appears to have faster draw speed than a regular bow if used with elven arrows. Fully nocking an arrow with the Quick Shot perk takes less than a second.

Acquisition
The bow is acquired in the Inner Sanctum within Forgotten Vale. It is obtained at the end of Touching the Sky, after defeating Arch-Curate Vyrthur.

Smithing
It can be upgraded with a Refined Moonstone ingot at a grindstone and also benefits from the Elven Smithing perk, which doubles the improvement.

Arrows
In addition to regular arrows, two special types of arrows can be used with Auriel's Bow, each with their own unique effect:

Sunhallowed Arrows
"Causes sunburst attacks to nearby targets if shot at the sun with Auriel's Bow"

Shooting a Sunhallowed Elven Arrow from Auriel's Bow at the sun will cause the sun to undergo an explosion, causing beams of harmful sunlight to rain down on all enemies similar to the effect of the Storm Call shout.

Bloodcursed Arrows
"Shrouds the sun in sudden darkness when shot with Auriel's Bow"

Shooting a Bloodcursed Elven Arrow from Auriel's Bow at the sun will cause an explosion of darkness around the sun, which will dissipate to reveal a black hole-like anomaly replacing the sun. This creates a false-night in which a vampire is unaffected by the daylight. This effect will continue for an entire day in-game.

Trivia

 * Unlike most other weapons, apparel that reduces the cost of Restoration spells (the school that the Sun Damage enchantment falls under) does not reduce the amount of charge used when using Auriel's Bow.
 * NPC's have reactions to the bow when it is used to blacken the sky, though the comments are not to the bow itself, but more to the sky. These range from asking what happened to the sun, to telling the player to be careful for the sky is a "bad omen."
 * When using the bow to darken the sun with Bloodcursed Elven Arrows, NPCs will also comment on the changed sky when the Dragonborn decides to talk to them. Instead of their usual reactions or greetings, they will say various lines such as:
 * "This weather seems all wrong to me."
 * "The day is dark as night. What's happening?"
 * "Why does the sky look like that?"
 * "Dragons weren't enough. Now we've lost the sun, too?"
 * "Watch yourself. The sky is a bad omen."
 * Interestingly, while the player has the bow drawn, the sound effect of crackling can be heard, as if the Dragonborn is holding a Fire spell in their hand. This sound seems to only occur while the bow is drawn, not sheathed.

Appearances


Arco de Auriel (Dawnguard) Лук Ауриэля