Does weapon weight affect sneaking detection?

This is an extension of this question that I don't wish to necro. Does the category of "equipped items" - whose weight affect noise - include weapons? Searching around, I have found that weapon category, not weight, affect noise made by weapon swings. One person have said that weapon weight affects noise when drawn. However, I have seen nothing about whether weapon weight affects noise by simply equipping it, undrawn.

To summarise: Is a Dragonbone Sword noisier than an Iron Sword? Does it matter if it's sheathed, drawn or swinging?

Bonus marks: Is a power attack noisier while sneaking? Also, I know Dagger is more silent than other 1H which are more silent than 2H, but is there a difference in Sword/Axe/Mace noise, all else being equal?

Thanks for answering this question on an old but always-relevant ES game ^^


Solution 1:

While swinging the weapon makes noise, no. Weapon weight has literally nothing to do with your ability to remain undetected, provided you aren't chopping the air into pieces as you stealth about.

Daggers are silent, anything bigger makes a detectable noise.

Solution 2:

An aspect of your question that is not touched on by the other answer is the effect that a weapon may have on stealth by being unsheathed.

  • Prior to acquiring the Sneak perk Silence, movement of your feet affects your ability to stay in stealth.
  • When you have a weapon drawn, your character will keep his/her back to the camera. So looking around the corner with your camera will involve the shuffling of feet while your weapons are drawn.

As such I've found that Hit & Run (& Hide) tactics can be assisted by either sheathing my weapons or by keeping my camera still.


I'm incurably nosy, so the weapons get sheathed.