Game Skyrim Forum

I've noticed that bandit archers, in addition to their stash of non-iron arrows (steel arrows, dwarven

arrows, etc.), always seem to have a single iron arrow.

I thought at first it was because they had been shot at with iron arrows, but this doesn't seem likely,

given that all bandit archers without exception seem to have this single iron arrow.

I've always wondered if this meant something (a thieves guild or dark brotherhood quest line which I

haven't done), or if it was just some game bug (a left over place holder in the game), or if it was even

just my own game alone from some mod I added a long time ago.

Nothing important, just curious.

Thanks - Rob

I can't say I've noticed archer NPCs regularly having only a single arrow in their inventory. They usually have multiples in my games.

Here comes the obligatory next question: are you on PC? And if so, are you using any mods?

No, I mean in addition to their regular stash of arrows, bandit archers also have a single iron arrow. So for example, one bandit archer will have 8 steel arrows plus one iron arrow, another bandit archer will have 8 silver arrows plus one iron arrow, a third bandit archer will have 6 dwarven arrows and one iron arrow, and so on.

Of course I don't see this with bandit archers having only iron arrows, the iron arrows are all in one group in their inventory. But

I start to see this as soon as I level up a couple of times, and the bandit archers start carrying arrows other than iron.

Where I especially see this is in the half dozen or so ruined forts from IC to Anvil that I routinely go through to collect loot.

Not the forts with mages or vampires, but the ones with heavy armor marauders and bandit archers.

As far as mods go, lots that I've added and removed over the course of years. But they've always been scenery or house mods,

not armor or weapon mods. I do have all available DLC.

As said just curious. It doesn't effect game play or anything. But then maybe it only is on my install.

Thanks for responding - Rob

It could still be mods, especially if you have a habit of installing and removing mods on a current game save. Some mods might have altered the loot list and possibly there might have been a dirty entry made.

I do not recall seeing that but then again most of my characters do not get that much farther than the teens and most of my characters do not loot bodies.

All of the Bandit and Marauder archers in my game carry one iron arrow in addition to a small quantity of another type of arrow. Years ago there was a YouTube play through where the guy pointed out every iron arrow he took off of archers.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, maybe that. Oh well, off to play Oblivion.

Thanks again - Rob

And it's a special inexhaustible one for the NPC (but not after you take it). It means that enemy archers never run out of ammo, just degrade to lowest-quality.