11 Strongest Characters in The Elder Scrolls, Ranked

Scholars of The Elder Scrolls know the games have blurred the lines between mortality and divinity with the way the lore’s approach to magic and the cosmos. Give a mortal enough access to time and Magicka, and they may well figure out how to turn themselves into a demigod, and perhaps even attempt to usurp godhood itself. This isn’t a theory either; some mortals in Tamriel have, in fact, tried to do just that.

As such, when it comes to determining the most powerful characters in The Elder Scrolls, one must factor in scope and scale. Since the Daedric Princes and the Divines already dominate their respective planes, evaluating Tamriel’s most powerful mortals can become a more interesting discussion within the scope of The Elder Scrolls. After all, while the games’ protagonists are strong, the more important question is “by how much?”

11

The Underking

The Lich Whose Goal Was To Truly Die

• Immortal lich who commanded legions of undead and crazed living cultists
• Discovered how to empower lost and ancient technology with magic
• May likely be an amalgamation of Tamriel’s most powerful mages

Even The Elder Scrolls lore has its version of the bogeyman, and this was the Underking. He was a lich of immense magical power, whose legions of fanatical living and loyal undead were all directed to do one mission: reclaim his “heart.”

In the past, the Underking imbued his lifeforce into the Mantella gem (his “heart”) so the all-powerful Numidium machine-god could help Tiber Septim unify Tamriel. However, an unexpected betrayal resulted in the banishment of the Mantella into the netherworld, practically turning the Underking immortal. While events in Daggerfall helped the Underking retrieve his heart and use it for his ultimate death, the more interesting part was the rumors surrounding his identity. Let’s go over the two main theories.

1. Some speculate he is actually Zurin Arctus, a former Imperial Battlemage who created the Mantella. Such was Zurin’s gift in Magicka that he’s often associated with God of Magic, Magnus. Tiber’s misuse of the Numidium to eliminate potential political enemies resulted in the battle that turned Zurin into the immortal Underking.
2. Another theory is that he was Ysmir Wulfharth, a reincarnating Skyrim High King and speculated avatar of Lorkhan. This time around, Zurin speculated that using Wulfharth’s soul could give the Mantella enough juice to power the Numidium. After Tamriel’s unification, Wulfharth resurfaced as an undead wizard who killed Zurin and destroyed the Numidium before being destroyed himself. In this version, Wulfharth and Zurin are speculated to have been melded together as one Underking entity, with Zurin eventually becoming the dominant psyche.

10

Miraak, The First Dragonborn

Learned How To Bend Dragons To His Will

• Can bend the will of dragons through Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora
• Can pull off four-word Shouts instead of just the traditional three
• Confident in his power against Alduin, though he refused to join the Dragon War against him

Although the Last Dragonborn would be the most popular of Akatosh’s blessed, the first one to actually attain this status was Miraak. He was a leader of the Dragon Cult, the group that mediated the rule of dragons over mankind, and possessed an intimate understanding of their power.

Miraak was once banished to Apocrypha after it was discovered that he conspired with Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Lost Knowledge, to control dragons. It’s around this point that Miraak started forming a cult around him and, over time, attempted to kill the “false” Dragonborn. It’s this fight with the Last Dragonborn that ultimately forced Hermaeus Mora to kill his champion, allowing the former to claim Miraak’s soul.

However, Miraak’s defeat didn’t mean he was a pushover. After being Hermaeus Mora’s champion, the Daedric Prince actually taught Miraak a shout that bent dragons to his very will. Upon the discovery of his treachery, Miraak fought Vahlok the Jailor in a magical duel that tore what would be Solstheim out of the Skyrim mainland. In his fight with the Last Dragonborn, it’s discovered that Miraak can actually do four-word Shouts instead of three – demonstrating great mastery over the Thu’um.

9

The Nerevarine

The Reincarnated God-Killer

• Prophesied (therefore empowered) to kill the living gods of the Tribunal
• Powerful enough to “destroy” the Heart of Lorkhan through the Tools of Kagrenac and disperse its parts across Tamriel
• Defeated a weakened Almalexia, technically still a god
• Defeat an aspect of the Daedric Prince of the Hunt

The Morrowind protagonist is eventually revealed as the Nerevarine, prophesied to strike down the Tribunal, living gods who ruled Vvardenfell. This all traces back to the Battle of Red Mountain, where the Dwemer became instantly extinct after attempting to use the Heart of Lorhkan to create their machine-god Numidium. Saint Nerevar, previously a Chimer known as Indoril Nerevar, made his companions Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil swear on Azura’s name never to try to do the same thing. However, the Battle of Red Mountain ended with Nerevar dead and the three ascending into becoming the Tribunal. A furious Azura cursed the Chimer into becoming Dunmer, and declared the Tribunal would meet their end at the hands of Nerevar’s reincarnation.

It seems this very prophecy empowered the Nerevarine to achieve numerous feats. For starters, the Nerevarine defeated Dagoth Ur, who himself was empowered by the Heart of Lorkhan, in a mad quest for world domination. The Nerevarine was powerful enough to kill a maddened Almalexia, practically still a living goddess in the events of the game. In the “Bloodmoon” expansion, the Nerevarine also fights and defeats an aspect of Hircine, the Daedric Prince of the Hunt. Compared to most other mortals, the Nerevarine proved powerful enough to contend with actual gods.

8

Divayth Fyr

The World’s Most Powerful Wizard

• The world’s most powerful wizard of 4,000+ years
• Can resist Azura’s curse of the Chimer, choosing to be Dunmer at will
• Fought the Daedric Princess Nocturnal alongside the Vestige
• Can travel between the realms of Oblivion at his own volition

Among anyone who’s ever displayed any talent with Magicka in the world of Tamriel, none could compare to Divayth Fyr, possibly the world’s most powerful wizard, and he has lived for more than 4,000 years. Such was his age that he started the beginning of his life as a Chimer, having been friends with soon-to-be-god Sotha Sil, and was even a former student of the Psijic Order. Not only that, Divayth was powerful enough to even resist the Daedric Prince Azura’s curse that turned the Chimer into Dunmer. Instead, he “allowed” the curse to change him so Divayth could show the now-Dunmer how to turn it into a blessing.

Divayth is near god-like in terms of power, especially as a wizard. He once demonstrated great talent in necromancy but chose not to use it to pursue immortality. Divayth also showed a keen interest and insight towards the realms, being able to traverse the planes of Oblivion at will. At some point, the Vestige (Elder Scrolls Online protagonist) helped Sotha Sil fight the Daedric Princess Nocturnal while keeping Sotha Sil alive in the latter’s realm of Clockwork City.

7

Mannimarco, The God Of Worms

Practically Became The God Of Necromancers

• The world’s most powerful necromancer and lich
• Once became the “real” power behind the Empire of Cyrodiil
• Succeeded in becoming an actual “god” via the Necromancer’s Moon
• Practically immortal despite his returns in Tamriel

The individual known as Mannimarco was originally just an exile from the Psijic Order for his fascination with necromancy; that is, until he became one of Nirn’s first liches and head of his own faction, the Worm Cult. Through his plots, he once became the dominating force behind the Empire of Cyrodiil in one of its more chaotic periods, and even managed to turn necromancy into a legal practice within the Mages Guild.

However, perhaps the most impressive feats of Mannimarco were tied to his many attempts at becoming a god. One such attempt was the Planemeld, where Mannimarco tried (and failed) to take over Daedric Prince Molag Bal’s station during his attempt to unite Nirn with Oblivion. In the events of Daggerfall, the paradoxical Warp in the West gives him access to the all-powerful Mantella, practically paving the way for his true ascension to godhood. Mannimarco’s divine body becomes the Necromancer’s Moon, which empowers necromancers once every eight days to create black soul gems. At one point, Mannimarco “returns” as a mortal in Cyrodiil and dies at the hands of the Hero of Kvatch, but his moon persists, implying he has become truly immortal.

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6

Last Dragonborn

Potentially An Aspect Of Both Akatosh And Lorkhan

• Child of Akatosh, the God of Time, as they possess a dragon soul
• Potential incarnation of Lorkhan
• Defeated Alduin, the actual manifestation of the End Times
• Defeated Lord Harkon, the progenitor of a vampiric bloodline
• Defeated Miraak, the First Dragonborn
• Possess a degree of reality manipulation through Shouts

Being a Dragonborn, the Last Dragonborn protagonist of Skyrim is also a mortal with a dragon soul, giving them access to the same Shouts that use dragon language to manipulate reality to a limited degree. They have been prophesied to defeat Alduin before the World-Eater brings yet another end to the cycle of life-and-death on Nirn. Even without counting their fight with the Time-Eater, the Last Dragonborn is strong enough to defeat the Herma Mora-blessed Miraak and even Lord Harkon, an actual progenitor of a vampire bloodline. However, being able to defeat Alduin, the actual firstborn of Akatosh, is more than just because of plot armor on the part of the Last Dragonborn.

When Clavicus Vile asked the player to help restore them to their full power, the Daedric Prince of Trickery and Bargains implied the Last Dragonborn is almost as powerful as their weakened, half-powered state. If true, this makes the Last Dragonborn nigh-demigod status. This has some backing in the lore, as the Ghost of Old Hroldan mistook the Last Dragonborn for Tiber Septim, a known incarnation of the Aedric creator god that introduced chaos, and therefore creation, into the universe. The recognition may imply the Last Dragonborn is also a Shezzarrine, the formal term for these incarnations.

5

Vivec And The Tribunal

God-Rulers Of Vvardenfell

• Used Kagrenac’s Tools to attain divinity via the Heart of Lorkhan
• Immortal with the Heart of Lorkhan
• Vivec fought the Ruddy Man, an incarnation of Molag Bal
• Sotha Sil banished Nocturnal from his Clockwork City
• Almalexia and Sotha Sil, and Vivec in another encounter, drove Mehrunes Dagon back into Oblivion
• Vivec supposedly achieved CHIM, or knew how to achieve it

After Saint Nerevar’s death at the Battle of the Red Mountain, Vivec and his companions, Almalexia and Sotha Sil, discovered how to use the Tools of Kagrenac to gain divinity from the Heart of Lorkhan. This act cursed the Chimer into the Dunmer but also elevated the three into the god-rulers of Vvardenfell known as the Tribunal. Once a year, they travel back to the Red Mountain and reuse the Tools on the Heart of Lorkhan to recharge their divinity. This also served as their biggest weakness, as their dependence on the Heart and relative distance (that they had to make an annual pilgrimage) made them much weaker at the time of Dagoth-Ur’s awakening during the events of Morrowind.

However, similar to the gods they try to emulate, The Elder Scrolls doesn’t provide many evident displays of the Tribunal’s divine power. The most direct of these is when Vivec merely raises a hand to freeze the meteor Baar Dau. Other interesting feats include separate instances of Vivec as well as the combined might of Almalexia and Sotha Sil defeating incarnations of Molag Bal and banishing him back into Oblivion. Sotha Sil also managed to banish Nocturne out of his Clockwork City dimension.

4

Dagoth-Ur

Achieved Divinity By Directly Interacting With The Heart Of Lorkhan

• Can tap into the Heart of Lorkhan to gain divine power, without Kagrenac’s Tools
• Immortal as long as the Heart of Lorkhan is intact
• Created the Ash Blight and Corprus, the latter corrupting the mind and warping the flesh
• Manipulate minds and dreams

As the Heart of Lorkhan is tied to the creator-god Lorkhan himself, it’s no surprise Dagoth-Ur became a divine entity after his connection to it. He can do it without Kagrenac’s Tools and stayed by its side after his presumed death, making his power much rawer and more intact compared to the Tribunal. By the time the Tribunal returned to the Red Mountain for their annual pilgrimage in the events of Morrowind, Dagoth-Ur’s forces didn’t let them in, weakening the Tribunal’s connection while Dagoth-Ur remained ever stronger.

With the destruction of the Heart of Lorkhan via Kagrenac’s Tools, Dagoth-Ur lost much of his power and was finally defeated by the Nerevarine. However, without Nerevar’s incarnation, Dagoth-Ur is an exceptionally powerful individual. Dagoth-Ur created the Ash Blight that carried diseases throughout Vvardenfell, the most powerful of which was the Corprus, the divine disease that warps the flesh and corrupts the mind. Aside from this, Dagoth-Ur demonstrated the ability to manipulate individuals through their minds and dreams.

3

The Hero Of Kvatch

Former Champion Of Cyrodiil, The New Prince Of Madness

• Entered and closed several Oblivion Gates
• Defeated Umaril the Unfeathered, an immortal demigod champion of Daedric Prince Meridia
• Replaced Sheogorath as the new Daedric Prince of Madness

Once an ordinary prisoner, the individual who would become the Hero of Kvatch was involved with the mission of protecting Martin Septim, the Emperor’s last child and savior of Cyrodiil from an impending assault from Mehrunes Dagon. By the end of the Oblivion Crisis, the Hero was responsible for escorting Martin to fight Mehrunes Dagon and closed several Oblivion Gates to stop a daedric assault on Cyrodiil. While these seem tame compared to the feats of other mortals in Tamriel, what happened after the Crisis is what elevated the Hero of Kvatch to among the most powerful in Nirn.

Some time after the Crisis, the Hero becomes the Divine Crusader and defeats Umaril the Unfeathered, an immortal sorcerer-king champion of the Daedric Prince Meridia whose parentage is supposedly tied to another era. Most importantly, he becomes the appointed of Sheogorath to replace him as the Daedric Prince of Madness. This was soon after the original Sheogorath discovered he was actually Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order, tricked into becoming the very thing he hated. As the new Sheogorath, the former Hero of Kvatch can practically bend reality across the Shivering Isles, combined with the exertion of some effort into Tamriel in the same way other Daedric Princes could.

2

Pelinal Whitestrake

A Wrathful Demigod Of Good

• A Shezarrine who had the Amulet of Kings as a heart
• Can destroy entire armies and defeat elven kings in duels
• Moments of Madness affected the world itself
• Erased an entire month off the elvish calendar

Divinity is quite the confusing subject in The Elder Scrolls lore with how frequently the Et’Ada interact with mortals, so it’s quite interesting for the life of Pelinal Whitestrake to be so well-documented. Known as the closest confidant and champion of the Slave-queen Saint Alessia, Pelinal is known to be an immortal hero who manifested into Tamriel as a Shezarrine, an aspect of Lorkhan. Before his ties to Saint Alessia, Pelinal was said to have been an ancient warlord known to fight, conquer lands, and eventually abandon them before repeating the process.

Pelinal ended up as one of Alessia’s champions in her rebellion against the cruel ancient Ayleid elves. At this time, Pelinal wore his divinely-gifted Crusader’s Relics, making him nigh-impervious to any damage. The only time Pelinal was ever damaged was at the hands of Umaril the Unfeathered, his rival, after which other Ayleid sorcerer-kings had killed and dismembered Pelinal. Before this, however, Pelinal was just as horrifying as he is horrific. Pelinal is prone to fits of Madness, with his fury capable of reducing entire regions to nothingness had it not been for the Eight Divines themselves calming him down. When his friend Huna had died, Pelinal had become so furious he “cut” an entire month off the elvish calendar.