Combat ( Skyrim ) Combat in is fighting with weapons , spells , or one ' s own fists . Perks . Unarmed . Unlike other games in the series , where Hand - to - Hand combat was a class skill , " Skyrim " lacks a skill tree , though there are perks for unarmed combat . Fists of Steel . A perk from the Heavy Armor perk tree which requires a Heavy Armor skill of 30 and at least one rank of Juggernaut . It adds the base armor rating of worn heavy gauntlets to unarmed damage . Poison Talons . This perk from the Vampire Lord skill - tree adds 20 points of poison damage towards unarmed combat , while in Vampire Lord form . Necromage ( Perk ) . Though it does not directly affect unarmed attacks , Necromage ( Perk ) can be useful to improving unarmed damage . If The Dragonborn is a Vampire and the Necromage perk is active , the bonus from Fists of Steel will be improved as will any Fortify Unarmed enchantments on equipment equipped after the perk is active . Unarmed combat does not improve from One - handed perks like Armsman , Dual Flurry and Dual Savagery . Items . Unarmed . " Skyrim " offers only one enchantment that benefits Unarmed combat , Fortify Unarmed . It is only available on one item , and benefits from the Enchanting perk Insightful Enchanter . Gloves of the Pugilist . The Gloves of the Pugilist are a named pair of Fur Gauntlets in " Skyrim " . They can only be looted off of Gian the Fist in the Ratway , and are disenchantable . This is the only item that provides the Fortify Unarmed enchantment . Ring of the Beast . The Ring of the Beast adds 20 claw damage for vampires . This effect is not the same as Fortify Unarmed and may show up as Khajiit Claws , but stacks with the natural bonus of both Khajiit and Argonian claws . It is found during the quest " Rings of Blood Magic , " as part of the vampire branch of the story quest . Being a quest - related unique item , it cannot be disenchanted . Combat . Unarmed . Any character made in " Skyrim " has access to unarmed combat . Having no skill tree , the only difference from character to character is damage dealt . Men and Mer have a base damage of 4 , while racial abilities give Khajiit characters 12 additional damage and Argonian characters 10 additional damage in unarmed combat . This does not include the 6 additional damage they hold in the code , giving Argonians a base damage of 20 and Khajiit a base of 22 . Khajiit and Argonian become the races of choice given their damage bonus , which far exceeds the potential DPS ( Damage - Per - Second ) of most starting weapons . All characters also have access to the majority of power attacks and finishing moves with only a few being unique or restricted . Argonians , for example , have a bonus hit on sweeping attacks ( sideways power attacks ) from their tail . Whatever race is chosen , there are three basic styles for unarmed combat : Many players will find it advantageous to float between the three styles depending on situation , as the lack of a primary weapon leaves several perks available to distribute . Those same available perks result in unarmed combat sometimes being a melee option for Archery builds as well as Bows being a secondary / ranged weapon to unarmed combat . Sneaking has its own unarmed critical kill , as a successful sneak attack from behind will yield a choke - out / neck snap animation if damage is sufficient to kill the target .