User blog comment:The Milkman/Skyrim Titbits/@comment-1726879-20120825120313/@comment-5280592-20120825154318

This anon seems to vastly underestimate the prospect of stabbing!

No matter how much you slash a guy, if he's wearing any good armor those slashes are the worst method in the world. You didn't read my report did you?

Uses of weapons:

Slashing = Unarmored

Stabbing = Armored - Used to pierce armor and cause blood loss.

Smashing = Everyhthing - Nothing more satisfying than crushing a guy's bones, likely disarming him, and making your job significantly easier. Is anything remotely as satifying?

If I remember correctly Chingis Khan's troops basically ran around in leather lamelar and silk undershirts.