The quest for the perfect melee accessory in Cyrodiil often leads to a single, elusive item: the Necklace of Swords. If you have spent hours clearing dungeons and looting boss chests only to find silver garnets and petty soul gems, you are not alone. This specific amulet is widely considered the "Holy Grail" for blade-wielding warriors, but because it belongs to the generic enchanted jewelry loot table, finding it requires more than just luck—it requires a strategy based on how the game’s underlying mechanics function.

What Makes the Necklace of Swords So Overpowered?

To understand why players are still obsessing over this item years after release, we have to look at the raw numbers. The Necklace of Swords provides two primary enchantments that, when combined, can break the game’s difficulty curve in your favor:

  1. Fortify Blade (25 points): This isn't a minor buff. Increasing your Blade skill by 25 points significantly boosts your base damage and can push your skill past the 100-point cap, though the damage scaling benefits are most noticeable when you are moving from mid-tier mastery to legendary status.
  2. Reflect Damage (33%): This is the crown jewel of the enchantment. In the mechanics of this world, Reflect Damage doesn't just reduce the damage you take; it sends a percentage of that raw physical damage back to the attacker. At 33%, every three hits you take results in the enemy effectively hitting themselves once for free, while you mitigate a third of the incoming pain.

When you wear this, you aren't just a swordsman; you become a walking hazard for every Dremora and Bandit in the province.

The Level Gap: When Does It Start Dropping?

You cannot find the Necklace of Swords at the start of the game. Like most high-tier enchanted jewelry, it is a "leveled" item. Based on current data and player testing, the Necklace of Swords begins appearing in the loot tables once your character reaches Level 20. However, your chances significantly improve at Level 23 or 24.

At these higher levels, the game’s RNG (random number generator) starts replacing lower-tier "of Protection" or "of Might" necklaces with the "Grand" versions and named artifacts like the Necklace of Swords or its sibling, the Amulet of Axes. If you are farming at Level 15, you are wasting your time. Go close some Oblivion Gates, finish the Arena, or grind your major skills until you hit at least Level 20.

Best Farming Locations to Hunt the RNG

Since this item does not have a static, 100% guaranteed spawn location in a specific chest, you have to play the numbers game. You want to target locations with a high density of "Boss Chests" and NPCs who carry enchanted jewelry. Here are the most efficient routes tested by the community.

1. Robber’s Glen Cave

Located north of Bravil, this cave is a favorite for veteran looters. It is packed with "Monster" class enemies (Imps, Will-o-the-Wisps, and Spriggans depending on your level). The reason this cave is top-tier is the sheer number of chests that have a high probability of containing enchanted jewelry. A full run takes less than five minutes, and the boss chest at the end is a prime candidate for the Necklace of Swords spawn.

2. Temple of the Ancestor Moths

If you are deep into the Thieves Guild questline or just exploring the north, this temple is a goldmine. The Prelates inside frequently carry high-level enchanted amulets and rings. Unlike chests, which are static until they reset, these NPCs have their inventories generated when you enter the cell. This makes it one of the best spots to encounter the necklace on a corpse rather than in a box.

3. The Sigillum Sanguis (Oblivion Towers)

Every time you reach the top of an Oblivion Gate to grab a Great Sigil Stone, there are "The Punished" containers nearby. These fleshy pods have some of the highest tiers for rare loot in the game. If you are currently closing gates to stop the invasion, always save your game before entering the final chamber (the Sigillum Sanguis). If the pods don't have what you want, you can reload and try again.

The Art of the "Save Scum": Manipulating the Loot

If you are playing on a console or prefer not to use commands, "save scumming" is the only reliable way to force the Necklace of Swords into existence. However, there is a specific way to do it correctly:

  1. Find a dungeon with a Boss Chest (like the end of Robber's Glen).
  2. Crucial: Save your game outside the final room or before you have gotten close enough for the game to render the contents of the chest. In many cases, loot is determined the moment you enter the "cell" (the area behind the loading screen).
  3. Open the chest. If the Necklace of Swords isn't there, reload your save.
  4. If you find that the chest keeps giving you the exact same items every time you reload, it means you saved too late. You need to go back to a save before you entered that specific section of the dungeon.

It is not uncommon for this process to take 50 or even 100 tries. The drop rate is low, but given that this is a "forever" item for your build, the investment is worth it.

Achieving 100% Reflect Damage: The God-Mode Build

The real reason to hunt the Necklace of Swords is to combine it with other items to reach the 100% Reflect Damage cap. Once you hit 100%, you are immune to all melee and ranged physical attacks. Every bit of physical damage is reflected back at the source.

To achieve this, you need a specific setup:

  • Necklace of Swords: 33% Reflect Damage.
  • Escutcheon of Chorrol: Up to 35% Reflect Damage (Reward for the quest "Sins of the Father," provided you turn the item in at Level 25+).
  • Ring of the Iron Fist: 25% Reflect Damage (Another random leveled drop, Level 20+).

With just these three items, you are at 93% Reflect Damage. Adding a simple custom-enchanted shield or a random piece of Raiment can push you to 100%. At that point, you can literally stand still while a Daedroth beats itself to death against your chest. The Necklace of Swords is the most important piece of this puzzle because it occupies the amulet slot, which has fewer competing defensive options than the ring slots.

Comparing the Necklace of Swords vs. Amulet of Axes

You might stumble upon the Amulet of Axes while searching for the necklace. They are functionally identical in terms of defense—both offer 33% Reflect Damage. The only difference is the skill buff. The Amulet of Axes boosts the Blunt skill by 25 points.

If you find the Amulet of Axes first, keep it! Unless you are strictly roleplaying a master of the longsword, the 33% reflection is far more valuable than the 25 points in Blade. You can always use the Amulet of Axes for defense and simply rely on your raw Blade skill for offense. However, for a perfectionist build, the Necklace of Swords remains the objective.

PC Players: The Console Command Shortcut

If you have reached Level 30, have cleared fifty dungeons, and still haven't seen this item, you might feel the game is being unfair. On the PC version, you can bypass the RNG. We generally recommend trying to find it legitimately first to preserve the sense of progression, but if the frustration is ruining your experience, you can use the console.

Hit the tilde key (~) and type: player.additem 00098452 1

This will instantly place the Necklace of Swords in your inventory. Again, use this sparingly, as part of the magic of this world is the thrill of the hunt.

Final Advice for the Hunt

Don't let the search for the Necklace of Swords stop you from enjoying the rest of the game. It is a supplement to a great build, not a requirement to finish the main story. The best way to find it is to keep a rotation of your favorite dungeons—Robber's Glen, Rockmilk Cave, and any Oblivion Gate—and clear them once every three in-game days (the time it takes for containers to reset).

Eventually, the RNG will swing in your favor. When you finally see that purple glow in the loot window and the words "Necklace of Swords" appear, you’ll know your melee build has finally reached its final form. Just remember to keep your level high, your patience higher, and your blade sharp.