You just spent hours—maybe days—fighting your way through the Shivering Isles. You’ve survived the Gatekeeper, navigated the politics of Mania and Dementia, and finally, you’ve stood toe-to-toe with the Daedric Prince of Order himself. You take down the crystalline titan, the screen fades, and you’re standing in the throne room as the new Lord of Madness. But there’s a problem. A big one.
The pedestal is empty.
It’s one of those "sink in your chair" moments. You look around, checking the floor, the corners of the room, thinking maybe the physics engine just sent it flying. Honestly, the realization that Jyggalag didnt drop sword for you is a classic Oblivion rite of passage. But before you assume your save file is toast or that the game hates you, there are a few very specific, very "Bethesda" reasons why that massive, grey claymore isn't in your inventory.
The Most Common Reasons Jyggalag Didnt Drop Sword
First things first: the Sword of Jyggalag is not a "drop" in the traditional sense. You don't loot it off his corpse like you would a bandit's iron longsword. In the world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, rewards are often tied to specific script triggers that happen when you transition between world spaces.
If you finished the fight and immediately started panic-searching the battlefield, you're looking in the wrong place. The sword is supposed to appear in the Palace of Sheogorath, specifically on a display pedestal behind the throne.
The "Palace Reload" Quirk
Sometimes the game just forgets to place the item. It's a scripting hiccup. The palace zone needs to refresh to realize you've actually finished "The End of Order." Many players find that if they leave the palace, go to a completely different cell (like Crucible or Bliss), and then fast travel back, the sword miraculously appears.
Physics and "The Great Yeet"
Oblivion’s Havok physics engine is... well, it’s a choice. If you were casting Area of Effect (AoE) spells or using a high-powered staff during the final cutscenes or near the pedestal area, there is a legitimate chance you physically knocked the sword off its stand. I’ve seen cases where the sword was wedged behind the throne or even clipped through the floor.
The Dialogue Bug
If you're playing the Oblivion Remastered (released in 2025), there's a notorious bug involving Jyggalag’s final monologue. If the game crashes during his big "ending" speech or if you skip through the dialogue too fast using the "wait" trick to avoid a crash, the script that spawns the sword sometimes fails to fire. It’s a frustrating catch-22: you wait to stop the crash, but the wait breaks the reward.
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How to Actually Get the Sword if It's Missing
If you've checked the pedestal and it's definitely not there, don't delete your character yet. There are ways to force the game to play fair.
- The 24-Hour Wait: Stand in the throne room and wait for 24 hours in-game. This often forces a cell reset for the items in the room.
- The "Defend the Realm" Trick: Some players report that the sword only spawns after they do one of the post-game "Prince of Madness" tasks, like talking to Haskill to deal with a creature outbreak.
- Check the Floor (Seriously): Use a light spell or increase your brightness. The sword is grey and blends in perfectly with the stone floor of the palace. It might just be lying under a rug or behind a pillar.
Using Console Commands (PC Only)
If you’re on PC and you’ve exhausted all options, there’s no shame in using the console. You did the work; you deserve the loot.
- Open the console with the tilde (~) key.
- Type:
player.additem 00095510 1 - Hit Enter.
This adds the Sword of Jyggalag directly to your inventory. If you want the "legal" version that stays on the pedestal, you might need to use setstage SE13 200 to force the quest to its absolute final completion state.
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Is the Sword Actually Worth the Hassle?
Honestly? It depends on your build. The Sword of Jyggalag is a two-handed claymore. It looks incredible—very clean, very "Order." It has a base damage that rivals Daedric weapons, and it’s one of the few items in the game that feels truly unique in its design.
However, it has no enchantment.
For some, this is a dealbreaker. For others, it’s the best part. Because it’s unenchanted, you can use Sigil Stones or the Altar of Enchanting to put whatever you want on it. Or, if you’re a purist, you keep it "perfect" just like Jyggalag intended. It’s a bit of a meta-joke: the Prince of Order wouldn't have some messy, chaotic fire enchantment on his blade. It's just a sword. A very, very sharp one.
Fixing the "Remaster" Crashes
Since the 2025 Remaster dropped, a lot of players have been running into a specific issue where the game dies right as Jyggalag starts his speech. If your game crashes here, you'll almost always find that Jyggalag didnt drop sword when you finally get back in.
The community fix for this is a bit weird but it works:
- As soon as Jyggalag is defeated, turn your camera away from him.
- Look at the palace doors.
- "Wait" for 1 hour using the in-game menu for every line of dialogue he speaks.
- By not rendering the "big head" animation, the engine doesn't overload, and the script for the sword reward has a much higher chance of completing.
Actionable Steps for the "Missing" Sword
If you are currently staring at an empty pedestal, follow this checklist in order:
- Save your game in a new slot. Never overwrite your "before the fight" save.
- Leave the Palace through the main doors.
- Fast travel to the Fringe and back.
- Wait 24 hours in the throne room.
- Crawl the floor around the pedestal; the physics engine might have hidden it under the geometry.
- Talk to Haskill and ensure all quest dialogue is 100% finished.
If none of that works and you're on a console (PS5 or Xbox Series X/S), your only real option is to reload a save from before the final battle. It sucks, but it's usually the only way to re-trigger the script. Make sure you don't skip any cutscenes or dialogue on the second attempt.
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The Sword of Jyggalag is a symbol of finishing one of the best DLCs in gaming history. Don't let a small script error stop you from claiming your prize. Just remember: in the Shivering Isles, even the rewards can be a little bit mad.