6

I've helped the people of Morthal, so now Jarl Idgrod has made me Thane and wants to give me the Blade of Hjaalmarch. Apparently, this blade can be either a sword or a greatsword. Searching the internet for a while, I've found a source that claims it is random, while another one claims it's based on your one-handed and two-handed skills.

I use one-handed weapons only, so naturally that skill is higher and I want the one-handed version of the blade. However, I always get the two-handed one, even after restarting the game a couple of times. Am I screwed or do I just have bad luck and should keep trying?

Improve this question
3
  • If its random, you may need to do some other stuff before claiming the sword to change what number you get from the generator, otherwise you'll likely get the same result every time.
    – bwarner
    Dec 18, 2011 at 15:12
  • or at the very least leave the area and come back.
    – Xantec
    Dec 18, 2011 at 15:55
  • @bwarner from what I've seen, most random seeds regenerate on a full game restart. (Either exit to desktop, and reopen, or turn off the console). Probably the easiest way in most cases.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Dec 18, 2011 at 16:00

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

It's random.

This should be obvious, given that of the two hypotheses you've seen - either that it's random, or that it's based on whichever skill is higher - only one actually conforms to your experience.

Sorry for your bad luck, if you want a 1 handed version that badly, you're going to need to do a bunch of reloading.

(It's possible that the random variable is seeded at some earlier point - when you start the quest perhaps? - and that you're well and truly out of luck here. But this seems unlikely for a variety of reasons.)

Improve this answer
2
  • the enchantment is random too
    – Raven Dreamer
    Dec 18, 2011 at 15:48
  • 2
    ...or you could try to get it using the console.
    – chandsie
    Dec 18, 2011 at 17:38
2

Type of weapon

From UESP wiki's "Thane of Hjaalmarch" article (emphasis mine):

The reward, the Blade of Hjaalmarch, is a random, leveled, enchanted sword. There is a 50% chance that it will be a sword (one-handed), and a 50% chance it will be a greatsword (two-handed). Due to a bug*, however, maces are also occasionally awarded.

*The list for enchanted iron swords that do stamina damage contains only maces. (This bug is fixed by version 1.2 of the Unofficial Skyrim Patch (original / Legendary Edition - PC) / (Special Edition - PC) / (PS4 / PS5) / (Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S).)

Related USKP patch note:

USKP v1.2 - (2012-09-01)

Leveled list SublistEnchIronSwordStamina was populated by maces and has been corrected. This will also cascade to fix various quests that may have called this list as a reward. (Bug #390, 197)

Material

The probability of getting a Blade of Hjaalmarch of a particular material is detailed in the table below. It shows what material is added to the list of possible materials at which level. This means that if the player character is at level 20, then every single material added at levels 1, 2, 3...20 are on the list, not just the material(s) listed at level 20.

Level Material
1 3 × Iron
4 1 × Steel
5 1 × Steel
6 1 × Steel
7 1 × Orcish
13 1 × Dwarven
20 1 × Elven
28 1 × Glass
37 1 × Ebony
47 1 × Daedric (5%), Any other material (95%)

Source: UESP wiki's "Skyrim Leveled Lists - Enchanted Weapons" article

Enchantment

The Blade of Hjaalmarch's enchantment will depend on the player character's level and the weapon's material. The possible enchantments and at which level you will get them are detailed in the tables below. (Click the image to view the larger, original version.)

Source: UESP wiki's "Skyrim Leveled Lists - Enchanted Weapons" article

Improve this answer
1
  • this is a big explanation. No votes?
    – Jim
    Oct 17, 2015 at 6:26

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .