Skyrim: Here’s How To Bash With a Weapon or a Shield

Skyrim’s combat was largely reworked when compared to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but some mechanics did stick around. One such mechanic is bashing, which allows you to utilize your defensive maneuvers in a more offensive manner. Even though the technique is in large part simple to the performer, many players are confused by it, so this is why we created this guide on bashing with a shield or weapon. Let’s see how it’s done. 

Bashing in Skyrim: A Simple Guide

Bashing is an offensive technique that allows you to basically hit with a shield or a weapon that you are blocking the attacks with. Bashing will deal a small amount of damage to your opponent; it will, in some instances, cause the enemy to stagger backward, and in cases where it’s applicable, it can interrupt power attacks and special attacks.

You can bash with a shield or two-handed weapon by pressing the attack button while you are already performing a block. The principle is exactly the same on all consoles.

Bashing can be done with shields or two-handed weapons. In this case, it’s the most effective. You can also bash with a bow, but even if your bashes are significantly upgraded via perks, those perks won’t apply to bows; you can only perform regular bashes with a bow. 

You can also perform a bash while holding a torch; in that case, you will set your enemies ablaze, which is one interesting tactic to use against enemies that have confirmed elemental fire weaknesses. 

As far as damage goes, the damage your bash will deal to your opponent depends on your base armor rating if you’re trying to bash with a shield or your base damage if you’re trying to bash with a weapon. Due to this criteria, bashing with a weapon will always deal more damage.

In theory, bashing consumes relatively few points of stamina; however, if your bashes are upgraded, and you’re performing Power Bash, for example, you will lose almost double the amount of Stamina points but will also deal more damage in return.  

Can you bash while dual-wielding?

You cannot bash while dual-wielding in Skyrim because, in that case, both your attack button and your block button are assigned to the “attack” function. There are mods that allow you to bash while dual-wielding, but it’s not possible in vanilla game. 

Generally, if you press both block and attack while dual-wielding, you will only attack with both equipped weapons at the same time. Generally, you can bash only while you have equipped items that allow you to perform the block function, such as two-handed weapons, torches, bows, and shields. 

How to upgrade bashing?

All perks related to bashing are associated with the Block Perk tree, and as you get more efficient in blocking, you will unlock more potential benefits for bashing as well. 

The first bash upgrade that you can unlock is Power Bash. You need to have at least Blocking level 30, and the Shield Wall perk needs to be unlocked as well. 

Power Bash allows you to perform well, Power Bash, which deals more damage and staggers enemies for a longer period of time. The downside to using Power Bash is that it consumes more stamina than a regular bash. 

Power Bash can be further upgraded with the Deadly Bash perk. The Deadly Bash perk is unlocked when you reach Blocking level 50, and the prerequisite to unlock it is that you already have Power Bash unlocked. Deadly Bash simply deals 5x times more damage than regular and Power Bash, but it’s a good perk for players that usually play with shields and want to maximize their damage output without sacrificing the superior blocking abilities of a shield. 

The last perk that you can unlock is Disarming Bash. Disarming Bash is unlocked at Blocking Level 70, and Deadly Bash has to be unlocked prior. Disarming Bash, as the name implies, offers a 50% chance to disarm your opponent after you perform a bash on him. It’s extremely powerful, especially in late-game, but there are a few things to keep in mind while performing it. 

Disarming Bash works only if your targeted enemy is in mid-swing; if its weapon is out of sight and sheathed, it won’t magically drop from its hands. You need to time your disarming bashes properly in order for them to be effective. 

Disarming Bash will be effective on all enemies you meet in the game, and often, if you are quick enough, you will be able to pick up the weapon that they have just dropped. This is important when you are going up against enemies that rely primarily on weapons such as Draugr Deathlord and Draugr Death Overlord. 

Disarm them, pick up their high-level gear, and they will have to rely on unharmed attacks. And while they are extremely dangerous, even without weapons, you’ve taken care of at least 70% of their damage output. 

Disarm Bash is, however, almost completely useless against enemies that rely on spellcasting completely, with the exception of spellcasters that attack you with staves first. 

You can also use Disarm Shout in combination with Disarm Bash, but keep in mind that Disarm Shout works on enemies up to level 30, and even though with the shout, the disarming is guaranteed, it won’t work against afore-mentioned high-level enemies. 

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