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Elder Scrolls

For other uses, see Dwarven Ballista.

Dwarven Ballistae are mechanical constructs, or Animunculi, that launch projectiles found in The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn.

History[]

"One of the most dangerous Steam Animunculi is the Dwarven Ballista, which fires a bolt that can penetrate even the thickest armor."
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Created by the Dwemer long ago, the Dwarven Ballistas served as guardians and warriors. Much like Dwarven Spheres, Dwarven Ballistas maintain a constant vigil over the ruins their masters once called home.

Locations[]

Loot[]

Combat[]

Dwarven Ballistas are essentially, like their namesake, giant crossbows. Dwarven Ballistas are encased in a Dwemer metal casing, which is mounted on four legs to give it motion.

In combat, Dwarven Ballistas fire large metal spears at opponents, launched with such force that they are capable of penetrating armor and causing severe damage. Reload time, however, is lengthy. This allows the Dragonborn a respite to deal out damage while also providing enough time to duck behind cover to avoid the next spear. They have a seemingly infinite amount of ammunition to fire.

Sometimes, a fired spear will stagger the Dragonborn, and give the message "Ballista penetrated armor." This means the previous attack ignored armor, doing full damage against the Dragonborn.

Variants[]

Type Level Health-icon MagickaIcon Stamina DamageIcon Resistance
Dwarven Ballista 20 409 0 186 45 Immune to Poison and Frost. Resist Magic 25%. Armor-Piercing Bolts
Dwarven Ballista Guardian 28 530 0 218 90 Immune to Poison and Frost. Resist Magic 25%. Armor-Piercing Bolts
Dwarven Ballista Master 33 700 0 238 135 Immune to Poison and Frost. Resist Magic 25%. Armor-Piercing Bolts

Trivia[]

  • The spears cannot be picked up or accrued in inventory.
  • If the Ballista falls in water they will still fire, but swim further down and cannot be attacked.
  • When with Neloth in Nchardak, he comments frequently on how he should get an assistant to take one to Tel Mithryn. Later, one can see a dismantled one there.
  • Through use of console commands, it is possible to obtain and use ballista bolts with a crossbow. This proves to be an extremely effective weapon, capable of taking down almost any enemy with only a few shots.
  • The design of the ballista shares a similar shape to mirelurks in Fallout 4.

Appearances[]


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