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.

Mechanics
Unlik previous Elder Scrolls games, arrows no longer add to the player's encumbrance. This allows players to carry an infinite number of arrows. An arrow has a fixed damage score which interacts with the damage score of the bow to determine the amount of damage each shot does. However, the type of bow used has the greater impact on damage.

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 implementation of the Dawnguard add-on, arrows can now be crafted at a blacksmith's forge.
 * Arrows can be farmed from guards doing target practice.

Types of arrows
The following is a list of arrows available:

Unlimited arrows

 * An unlimited number of arrows (usually steel) can be obtained from NPCs that are doing target practice. Arrow farming is most common at the: Great Porch in Whiterun, Castle Dour courtyard in Solitude, and the Ragged Flagon Cistern.
 * If steel arrows, don't fit your character's color scheme or simply don't do enough damage, you can change the type of arrows that are being shot into their respective targets. Pick your target's pocket and relieve him of whatever arrows he has currently and replace them with one arrow of the type you'd like. Best done while he is asleep, if you are a low level pickpocket. If he is awake you will need perks to take his equipped arrows. While sleeping it seems the arrows are not considered to be equipped. He will then fire an unlimited number of that arrow into the target.
 * If you enter the Castle Dour courtyard in Solitude, the arrow farming process can be slowed by a bug which causes only one of the archers to fire at his target. This is because the other guard is off of his set path. He is too close to the other archer and will stare him down instead of shooting his own target. This can be fixed by moving him farther over by either sneak-pushing or sprinting at him.
 * Put a single arrow of the desired type in your follower's inventory and remove all other arrows. When they use their default bow, they will shoot the arrow type which you placed. You can then pick them off of the ground and from dead enemies.
 * During "The World-Eater's Eyrie", part of the main questline, (outside Skuldafn) it is possible to farm, an infinite number of ebony arrows. Go into part of the city and have 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 have been shot, noticed at 150+, occasionally the arrows will be no longer be rendered on the ground, though they can still damage the player. This bug seems to be fixed 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.
 * If the Bound Bow spell is used without any arrows equipped, the player will receive 100 bound arrows. Should the hundred arrows run out, simply sheath and cast again. Each arrow is a spirited representation of a Daedric Arrow, so likewise, it does 24 damage.
 * In Civil War missions you may be required to lay siege to a city. During the battle you are given an objective, like lowering the bridge in "The Battle for Whiterun." While you fight to complete the task, your fellow soldiers are fighting waves of unlimited enemies that will only stop spawning by completing the assigned objective. If you ignore you objective and continue to fight, you can loot unlimited steel arrows. Be fast - these bodies disappear quickly. There are usually 10-20 arrows on each body.
 * After you have discovered Sky Haven temple and when the blades reside there, Delphine will practice several times a day in the outside targets. This will give you 30-40 arrows per bunch.
 * Recruit a follower who prefers bows and give them an arrow of the preferred type. Also, Barbas must be recruited as a second follower, without completing the Daedric quest, "A Daedra's Best Friend", as he returns to his master and is forever inaccessible. With these two followers, enter a battle. Stand back while Barbas takes the brunt of the physical blows. Allow the follower to shoot the foe with their arrows. Since followers always have an infinite supply of arrows, these can be retrieved from the ground or corpses. This works with all arrow types, save Bound Arrows.

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". An avatar prop was added to the Xbox live avatar store in which an avatar would take a arrow in 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 get 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.

Bugs

 * Sometimes, when you sell or store arrows that you currently have equipped, they may remain visible on your character's back, although not in your inventory and they are not shootable.
 * Sometimes arrows will pass straight through whatever they are being shot at, even if the arrow would usually make contact with its target. This appears to happen more commonly with entities (movable objects such as enemies and things that can move when touched), and only very rarely with walls. Moving closer to the target should make the game register a hit next time you shoot at it.