Skyrim: Every Daedric Weapon & Artifact From Elder Scrolls History
The Daedric Princes are among the most popular Skyrim characters, mainly because they reappear so often throughout the rest of the Elder Scrolls series and have not only distinct personalities and quests for players to engage with, but a variety of unique Daedric artifacts that players can acquire. These can be powerful weapons, pieces of armor, or other relics that contain unique abilities and are usually obtained as a quest reward. While each Daedra generally only has one artifact per game, the lore expands upon many more, meaning that there have been dozens of Daedric artifacts introduced throughout The Elder Scrolls franchise.
There are usually 16 Daedric Princes acknowledged in the pantheon of the Elder Scrolls universe, with the 17th Prince, Jyggalag, appearing only in certain books as well as Oblivion's Shivering Isles DLC. Not only are they foundational to the history of Nirn, but they can be found throughout the timeline as major players during events that helped shape all of Tamriel. In addition, Daedric Princes often play prominent roles in Elder Scrolls expansions, for example, Hermaeus Mora in Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC or Hircine in Morrowind's Bloodmoon.
Daedric artifacts have appeared as early on as Arena, although they weren't explicitly referred to by that title at the time. Their creation is often attributed to the ancient Dwemer civilization within The Elder Scrolls lore. The possibility remains that there are Daedric artifacts that have yet to be discovered or at least included in the games proper, though that could change with the release of The Elder Scrolls 6. As the game is still in an early design stage, it isn't even known whether the Daedric Princes will have a significant role at all. Given the popularity of characters like Sheogorath, though, it seems highly likely.
Azura, perhaps most well-known for being a driving force in the main storyline of Morrowind, only has one famous artifact. Azura's Star essentially serves as a reusable soul gem that can hold even the most powerful of souls like those of the living gods Almalexia and Vivec of Morrowind. The catch is that it can typically only contain white souls. However, Skyrim players can allow the artifact to become corrupted, turning it into the Black Star, capable of capturing black souls. A lesser-known weapon that's often associated with Azura is The Elder Scrolls Online's Moonlight Blade.
Boethiah, Daedric Prince of treachery and deceit, has various Daedric artifacts scattered throughout the series. The first is the Ebony Mail, a suit of armor that contains powerful magical enchantments. It's noteworthy for existing in most mainline Elder Scrolls games with the singular exception of Oblivion. In Skyrim, it provides the Dragonborn with a muffling effect and deals poison damage to enemies.
Goldbrand is the less common of the two, only appearing in Morrowind and Oblivion, though Skyrim Anniversary Edition re-introduced it as part of a Creation Club mod. It appears as a golden katana that deals fire damage to any enemy hit and has a profound mystery surrounding it. Some Elder Scrolls characters speculate that ancient dragons forged it. The most obscure of Boethiah's artifacts is the shield Fearstruck, which was only mentioned in Daggerfall and was rumored to be destroyed.
Clavicus Vile is another Daedric Prince with multiple artifacts. The Masque of Clavicus Vile, which can be acquired in every game post-Arena, improves the wearer's charm and typically increases the player character's speech skill and personality. His more combat-driven artifacts include the Umbra Sword, a weapon seen in Morrowind and Oblivion that utilizes The Elder Scrolls' rare soul trap spell, and Skyrim's Rueful Axe. More recently, Skyrim Anniversary Edition re-introduced Umbra to the franchise. He also has additional artifacts such as the Bittercup, which appears in Morrowind, and the rarely-mentioned enchanted quill Feyfolken.
Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of knowledge, has several Daedric artifacts to his name, all of which appear in the form of books. The Black Books, tomes that present the reader with powerful abilities, can be collected throughout Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC. Each provides a unique skill or upgrade for players to make permanent use of. The Oghma Infinium, perhaps the most iconic of his books, appears in almost all mainline Elder Scrolls games, including Skyrim and awards players with a massive increase in skill points.
Hircine's Savior's Hide artifact has the rare distinction of appearing in An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire. During his quest in Skyrim, it serves as one of two possible rewards the Dragonborn can earn. In most of its appearances throughout the Elder Scrolls series, it provides players with Magic resistance and occasionally boosts the wearer's Light Armor skill, suiting Hircine's role as the hunter of the Daedric Princes.
The Spear of Bitter Mercy, though initially created by Mehrunes Dagon and at times associated with Sheogorath, is also commonly referred to as an artifact of Hircine. Throughout the Elder Scrolls games, legends describe Hircine as wielding the Spear of Bitter Mercy while hunting, similar to his other signature artifact, the Spear of the Hunter. These spears are often thought to be correlated to the three Totems of Hircine.
That said, the other potential quest reward in Skyrim is Hircine's Ring, a unique item that gives players the ability to control their lycanthropic transformations. This echoes back to its use in the Morrowind DLC Bloodmoon, in which it allows players to transform into a werewolf. This makes sense given Hircine's role as the patron and creator of lycanthropy.
Jyggalag is the least prominent of the Daedric Princes, but he still has an artifact to his name. The Sword of Jyggalag appears in Oblivion's Shivering Isles DLC and can be acquired by the player after defeating Jyggalag in his final battle. If Jyggalag happens to return in The Elder Scrolls 6, it's possible that the sword could make a return, or a brand-new artifact might come to be associated with him after years of going largely unrepresented in the Elder Scrolls series. Skyrim Anniversary Edition reintroduced the Sword of Jyggalag as part of the Saints & Seducers Creation Club mod that's included with the game.
Another Daedra with more than one known artifact is Malacath, Daedric Prince of the spurned and ostracized. He's often considered the patron god of the Orsimer race, and his teachings emphasize strength through combat. The most well-known of his artifacts, the hammer Volendrung, is said in-universe to disappear often and resurface throughout the eras and consequently appears somewhere in the map of every major Elder Scrolls game. It drains strength from the player's enemies when wielded.
Malacath's second artifact, Scourge, is a mighty mace that's explained as having the ability to banish Daedra. Despite that, it doesn't often display this skill in-game. Morrowind's version of Scourge summons minor Daedra to aid the player instead. However, Skyrim Anniversary Edition re-introduced Scourge to the series and gave it its true power. It didn't add Malacath's amulet, the Vengeful Eye, though, which has thus far only been seen in The Elder Scrolls Online.
The Daedric Prince of destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, is such a prominent figure in the Elder Scrolls history of Tamriel's lore that it shouldn't come as much surprise to learn that he has so many artifacts. For example, the Spear of Bitter Mercy, though more commonly associated with Hircine and even occasionally Sheogorath, was reportedly made by Mehrunes Dagon initially.
Another one of his artifacts, the Mysterium Xarxes, features heavily in the main storyline of Oblivion. There's also the Daedric Crescent - the only remaining weapon from Dagon's assault on the Battlespire - The Elder Scrolls Online's Deadland Hammer, and the destructive boots the Groundsplitters. Battlespire additionally features the Sword of the Moon Reiver, which is rumored to be the only weapon capable of physically harming Mehrunes Dagon in his Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire appearance.
The one artifact of his to appear in Skyrim is Mehrune's Razor, which is perhaps among the most famous of the Daedric weapons. It's been involved in various power struggles throughout Elder Scrolls history and possesses the power to kill any living being instantly and even steal their soul. Of course, its actual qualities vary depending on which game players have obtained it in. In Skyrim, its hits only have a slight chance to kill opponents in one hit.
Mephala, one of the most mysterious Princes in the Elder Scrolls franchise, has several minor artifacts associated with her, including the Ring of Khajiiti, Morrowind's Threads of the Webspinner, and the Obsidian Husk as seen in the lore of Elder Scrolls Online. Her only artifact to appear in Skyrim is the Ebony Blade, attainable in almost every mainline Elder Scrolls game since Arena. The blade is strengthened by each kill it makes, draining the life from the Dragonborn's foes.
The most notorious of Meridia's artifacts is Meridia's Beacon, which, when found alongside other loot in Skyrim, toggles the dialogue that begins her Daedric quest. Dawnbreaker is offered as the reward for completing it, possessing a unique burning enchantment that's particularly useful for killing Skyrim's multitude of undead enemies. Many Skyrim players don't know, though, that Meridia is also at times associated with the Ring of Khajiiti just like Mephala is, and she will, in fact, gift it to the protagonist of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion upon completion of her quest.
Although Molag Bal is a major player in The Elder Scrolls Online's primary storyline, he's surprisingly one of the Daedric Princes with the fewest artifacts to his name. The most well-known among them is the Mace of Molag Bal, a staple weapon of every game since Daggerfall. It can be acquired, like most other Daedric artifacts, through the completion of his Daedric quest. Another powerful weapon of his is the spell Mortuum Vivicus, which is seen to be capable of harnessing the power of thousands of souls at once, potentially releasing enough power to destroy Tamriel. It appears exclusively in The Elder Scrolls Online.
One of the weirdest characters of The Elder Scrolls, Namira, may be frequently associated with the mysterious Dark Heart, but above and beyond her most recognizable Daedric artifact is the Ring of Namira, which appears in Oblivion and Skyrim as a reward for completing her quest. It's interesting to note that the ring has completely different abilities in both games, only gaining its notorious gift of cannibalism during its Skyrim incarnation.
Given that Nocturnal is the patron of the Thieves Guild, even supposedly taking up a position as its leader in the Cyrodiil branch, it makes sense that so many of her artifacts are related to stealth or even directly connected to the organization. An exception to this is the Eye of Nocturnal, often used by the Daedric Prince to see into the Elder Scrolls' lore-filled world of Nirn from the realm of Oblivion. That said, her other artifacts appear far more frequently throughout the Elder Scrolls franchise.
Morrowind features the Bow of Shadows, and the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is a large element of Oblivion's Thieves Guild questline. The cowl is arguably her most famous artifact for this reason, though the Skeleton Key has also been a crucial part of the organization's history. Skyrim players widely consider the Skeleton Key among the most valuable artifacts in the game due to its ability to open any lock without breaking.
Peryite has never starred in a primary questline or DLC and is one of The Elder Scrolls' most underrated Daedric Princes. Additionally, he's a rare case in that he only has one artifact associated with him. His shield is Spellbreaker, modeled after the Dwemer style of smithing, and it is often portrayed as possessing the ability to dispel magic or silence spellcasters. Interestingly, it's one of the rare artifacts to appear in every single mainline Elder Scrolls game, though it only became overtly associated with Peryite in later entries to the Elder Scrolls series such as Oblivion and Skyrim.
Sanguine is a fan-favorite Daedric Prince, and his appearance in Skyrim is often considered one of the most unique quests in the game, taking players all across Skyrim's vast map to hidden locations on a series of bizarre missions and rewarding them with his staff, the Sanguine Rose. It has the power to summon lesser Daedra into combat. Aside from that, he's also sometimes associated with Mephala's artifact, the Threads of the Webspinner, and the series' lore explains that this is because he crafted them at Mephala's request.
The Death Dealer's Fete, which appears in Elder Scrolls Online, is potentially the most interesting of his artifacts. It's stated to be cursed, forcing the wielder to listen to distant revelry and the sound of anguished screams. It also makes its wearer stronger during combat, gaining power the longer an encounter lasts.
Sheogorath has the most major appearances of almost every Daedric Prince in the Elder Scrolls series, playing a large role in both The Elder Scrolls Online and Oblivion's Shivering Isles DLC. For that reason, it's also likely he'll be featured in Elder Scrolls 6. Unsurprisingly, there are more known artifacts associated with Sheogorath than with any other Daedric Prince, partly because players get to explore his realm of Oblivion extensively in the Shivering Isles expansion.
Two of his most important artifacts are the Staff of Sheogorath and the Wabbajack. The former serves as his symbol of office and is presented to the player character of Oblivion when they take up the role of Madgod to help defeat Jyggalag. Some consider the Wabbajack one of Skyrim's best Daedric artifacts as it generates a random magical effect when utilized. Other artifacts that appear during Sheogorath's quests throughout the series are the Staff of the Everscamp, the Fork of Horripilation, and the aforementioned Spear of Bitter Mercy.
More minor artifacts under Sheogorath's influence include the Folium Discognitum, Gambolpuddy, the Memory Wand, Neb-Crescen, Shadowrend, and the Rings of Lordship. The majority of these appear either during The Elder Scrolls Online or within the realm of the Shivering Isles. It's possible that The Elder Scrolls 6 could take the opportunity to bring back some of these rarer weapons and items.
Other than the Skull of Corruption, which appears in Vaermina's Daedric quest in Skyrim, she also possesses the Orb of Vaermina, which is seen in Oblivion. It's one of many compelling examples of the constantly evolving Daedric artifacts displayed in the Elder Scrolls games beyond Skyrim, and only time will tell what they might look like once The Elder Scrolls 6 is finally released.