This guide will tell you how to get a Thane weapon for Riften that is higher than iron without using mods.

The problem with Riften is that the thane weapon is decided as soon as you start a new character. Since you start a new character at level 1 then the thane weapon for Riften is always iron. Quickly leveling to 50 or 80 while in Helgen is too late. The thane weapon for Riften is already decided when you are just opening your eyes in the cart while your hands are still bound.

So how do you get something other than iron in the vanilla game? Follow these steps.

1: Make sure your OS is Linux (Perhaps not necessary but I only play Skyrim on Linux not windows so I can't actually test this on windows)

2: Make sure Skyrim is not running. You can't do this if you are playing another character and then just go back to the main menu. You have to close Skyrim and be at the desktop.

3: Launch Skyrim but STOP at the main menu. DO NOT press continue or new. You have to be at the main menu from the beginning with no character ever selected or played.

4: Press ( `) in order to open up the console. (Yes, you will need to use a console command for this. Get over it. This is the only way.)

5: Insert windows user making a joke about Linux users always resorting to a terminal to fix everything. Don't knock it if it works.

6: With the console open at the main menu with no character every having been played on this particular launch of the game type in ( player.setlevel 80 ). It doesn't have to be level 80. It can be whatever level you want.

7: Select new to start a new character. The game will load and you will be in the cart with your hands bound. Once you are able to press start in order to see your level you will see that you started the game at level 80. Now there is a 10% chance that the thane weapon for Riften is iron and a 90% chance that it will be something else. I often get either Elven or Orcish but a few times I got Glass or Ebony. Also, when you get to Helgen you'll discover that five of your skills are maxed out to 100 but you still only have 100 health so the the game will still be challenging. When you finally level up to level 81 you'll actually skip level 81 and level right up to 82 for some reason. After that level function like normal. Level up, get some gear, and head to Riften to earn your Thaneship and see what kind of weapon you'll get. If it is iron then just start over and try again. It will eventually work.

WHY DOES THIS WORK?

When you are at the start menu a character called prisoner is already loaded into the game ready to go. If you don't mind your character being a nord male and being named "prisoner" then you can just (coc riverwood) from the main menu to start the game without the main quest ever triggering. You are able to do everything except the main quest. Importantly, you can change the level of this character at the main menu with console commands before Skyrim is loaded meaning before the thane weapon for Riften is decided.

Warning:
Starting at level 80 with only 100 health is brutal. You will have to be very clever in order to survive. Also, all the higher level quests like the Ebony Warrior and the Durak will come to talk to you right away along with the postman delivering letters to start quests. The first time you step outside of Riverwood to head to Whiterun the Boethia cultist will attack you and he is no pushover when you have no health. If you have survival mode on then things are even more difficult. But look that thane weapon in Riften is worth it. Just imagine it, a a two handed Glass Greatsword displayed on your wall with the name "Blade of the Rift" while everyone else is stuck with a one handed iron piece of garbage. Plus if you can survive starting the game at level 80 then you would really have done something that you would know was valuable within yourself.