Bolts (Dawnguard)

Steel and Dwarven Bolts, respectively.

For other uses, see Bolts.

Bolts are projectiles fired by crossbows in The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard.

Unlike arrows, which are slung across the back, bolts are worn at the hip in a quiver. Similarly to arrows, bolts can be forged using the Smithing skill (however, as noted below, only after the quest "Ancient Technology" has been started).

Types

Name				Description	Item ID
Steel Bolt	10	0	1	-	xx000bb3
Dwarven Bolt	14	0	3	-	xx00d099
Exploding Steel Bolt of Fire	10	0	5	Explodes for 10 points of fire damage.	xx00f1a0
Exploding Steel Bolt of Ice	10	0	5	Explodes for 10 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.	xx00f1bb
Exploding Steel Bolt of Shock	10	0	5	Explodes for 10 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka.	xx00f1bc
Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Fire	14	0	15	Explodes for 15 points of fire damage.	xx00f1b1
Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Ice	14	0	15	Explodes for 15 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.	xx00f1b7
Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Shock	14	0	15	Explodes for 15 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka	xx00f1b9

Crafting

Recipes yield bolts in stacks of ten. Forging Exploding Bolts requires ten steel or Dwarven bolts and either fire salts, frost salts or void salts, which yields Fire Bolts, Frost Bolts and Shock Bolts, respectively.

Note: Bolts may only be crafted after starting Sorine's quests to find schematics

Attributes by piece

Name	Firewood	Steel Ingot	Dwarven Metal Ingot	Fire Salts	Frost Salts	Void Salts	Steel Bolt	Dwarven Bolt
Steel Bolt (10)	1	1
Dwarven Bolt (10)	1		1
Exploding Steel Bolt of Fire				1			10
Exploding Steel Bolt of Ice					1		10
Exploding Steel Bolt of Shock						1	10
Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Fire				1				10
Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Ice					1			10
Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Shock						1		10

Unlimited bolts

To obtain an unlimited number of bolts, perform one of the following methods:

Method A

1. At the beginning of the quest, Dawnguard, bring Agmaer to Fort Dawnguard.
2. Upon completion of the quest, Agmaer will be given a crossbow by Isran, and told to shoot at a set of crates.
3. Begin to collect. Collection is a slow process, as he fires a bolt roughly every 8 seconds. He continues to fire bolts until completion of the next quest.

Method B

1. Find a Hold Guard that is shooting arrows repetitively at a target/practice dummy. The best place to do this is in Solitude near the Castle Dour courtyard.
2. Pickpocket his bow and arrows. May require perks to be unlocked first.
3. Replace the bow with a crossbow (any kind) and give him a bolt (any kind will do, and only one of the bolts needs to be given).
4. Retrieve the bolts as they are fired at the target.

Method C

1. When the Dragonborn arrives at Fort Dawnguard for the first time, Durak will be shooting bolts at a tree on the path leading up to the fort.
2. When he is spoken to, he may be asked what he's shooting with, and he'll hand over a crossbow and bolts; but don't talk to him yet, as he may stop shooting.
3. Stand by the stump and pluck the bolts out every few minutes before they disappear.
4. Occasionally, he will stop shooting for a long time. Turn and look at him, as this may get him shooting again; walking toward him, or backing away from the tree may also make him start again.
5. When enough bolts have been collected, talk to him and get the crossbow and 45 more bolts.
6. Collecting bolts from Durak seems a bit faster than collecting bolts from Agmaer, possibly because Isran keeps 'encouraging' him.

Gallery

Trivia

• Enchanted bolts can be only made at the forge in Fort Dawnguard.
• Dwarven Bolts may also be looted from Dwarven Spheres or Dwarven Ballistas.
• Bolts are not available for sale at most shops. The Drunken Huntsman and The Fletcher are among the few options.
•  Creation Club   If Rare Curios content is enabled, Bonemold bolts can also be crafted with the Steel Smithing perk, for 1 Firewood and 10 pinches of Bone Meal, one unit of Bone Meal for each bolt.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Bolts (Dawnguard). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  PC   360   PS3   The bolt quiver does not fit several armor or clothing pieces not found in the Dawnguard DLC and actually has a visible space between it and the equipped apparel - this is due to the bolts being fixed as a quiver slot, and as the character leans forward, the bolts do the same.
• If a Greatsword is equipped at the same time as the crossbow bolts, part of the weapon will appear to cut through the quiver, which would make it difficult to actually store bolts inside, primarily due to the weapon's size. This is not the case with Battleaxes, Warhammers, or One-Handed weapons.
•  360   PS4   Starting the game or reloading a save with the bolts equipped can cause a third-person glitch where one appears to be wedged into the Dragonborn's hand. Drawing and sheathing the crossbow should resolve it, as well as changing weapons and going airborne.

See also

• Crossbows (Dawnguard)

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard