i lucked into some incredible hardware when i did a quest for merida -- her sword, "dawnbreaker". with my various enchanted armours and current one-handed still level (i'm at level 31 but i've pumped my one-handed and destruction skills more than anything else) it does a base of over 80 damage plus burning damage for 12, and if the enemy is undead, they usually explode, hurting any other undead around.

swinging that around means i almost never have to hit anyone more than twice. plus, i've completed the main quest, so i also have dragonbane, which for me does 78 damage plus additional damage of 25 for dragons and 10 shocking everyone else.

my enchanting skills and fighting stats are pretty darn high, so i'll always be a few steps ahead of enemies leveling up with me. to be honest, it makes everything a little less exciting, but it's always funny to decapitate a baddie with your first power attack just as they're in the middle of saying "you made a mistake coming here!" or "you picked a bad time to get lost."