The Strongest Characters in The Elder Scrolls, Ranked

Fans of The Elder Scrolls series understand that the games often make it hard to distinguish between being a normal person and a god, especially considering how magic and the universe work within the lore. If a person gains enough power and control over time and magic, they might be able to become a demigod, or even try to become a full god. This isn’t just a thought experiment – throughout the world of Tamriel, there have been people who have actually attempted this.

When thinking about the strongest beings in The Elder Scrolls universe, it’s important to consider their overall power and influence. The Daedric Princes and the Divines are already incredibly powerful in their own realms, so it’s more fascinating to discuss the strength of mortals within Tamriel. While the player characters are certainly capable, the real question is just how powerful they are compared to others.

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

Like many fantasy worlds, The Elder Scrolls has its own terrifying figure – the Underking. He was an incredibly powerful wizard who became a lich, and commanded a massive army of both devoted followers and undead soldiers, all focused on a single goal: recovering his lost heart.

Long ago, the Underking transferred his life energy into the Mantella gem – essentially his heart – to power the Numidium, a powerful machine-god, and enable Tiber Septim to unite Tamriel. Unfortunately, a betrayal sent the Mantella to a dark realm, inadvertently making the Underking immortal. Though events in Daggerfall allowed him to recover his heart and finally die, the mystery surrounding who he actually was is far more intriguing. Let’s explore the two most popular theories.

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.
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

While many Dragonborn are known throughout Skyrim, Miraak was the very first to be blessed by Akatosh. He led the Dragon Cult, a group that helped dragons rule over people, and had a deep knowledge of dragon power.

Miraak was exiled to Apocrypha after he plotted with Hermaeus Mora, a Daedric Prince, to dominate the dragons. Following his banishment, Miraak gathered followers and eventually tried to eliminate the Dragonborn, believing them to be an imposter. The conflict with the Dragonborn led to Hermaeus Mora killing Miraak, and subsequently claiming his soul.

Despite being defeated, Miraak was far from weak. Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince he served, taught him a powerful Dragon Shout that allowed him to control dragons. When Miraak betrayed him, Vahlok the Jailor challenged him to a magical battle that ripped the island of Solstheim away from the rest of Skyrim. During his confrontation with the Last Dragonborn, it became clear that Miraak was an incredibly skilled master of the Thu’um, capable of using four-word Shouts – a feat beyond most Dragonborn.

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

In Morrowind, the player character is ultimately revealed to be the Nerevarine – a prophesied hero destined to defeat the Tribunal, the god-like rulers of Vvardenfell. This conflict originates from the Battle of Red Mountain, where the Dwemer race mysteriously vanished while trying to power their mechanical god, Numidium, using the Heart of Lorkhan. Before the battle, Saint Nerevar (formerly Indoril Nerevar) made his allies – Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil – promise not to repeat the Dwemer’s actions. However, the battle resulted in Nerevar’s death and the three companions becoming the Tribunal. Angered by this betrayal, the goddess Azura cursed Nerevar’s people, transforming them into the Dunmer, and foretold that the Tribunal would be destroyed by Nerevar’s reincarnation.

This prophecy seems to have given the Nerevarine incredible power, allowing them to accomplish amazing things. They famously defeated Dagoth Ur, who was strengthened by the Heart of Lorkhan and trying to take over the world. The Nerevarine was also strong enough to kill Almalexia, who was essentially still a goddess at that point in the story. And in the “Bloodmoon” expansion, they even fought and defeated a form of Hircine, a Daedric Prince. Compared to ordinary people, the Nerevarine was powerful enough to challenge and defeat beings considered 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

Divayth Fyr is widely considered the most powerful wizard in Tamriel, and he’s lived for over 4,000 years. He began his life as a Chimer, befriending the future god Sotha Sil and studying with the Psijic Order. Remarkably, Divayth was able to withstand the curse from the Daedric Prince Azura that transformed the Chimer into Dunmer. Instead of resisting the change, he allowed it to happen, demonstrating to the newly-formed Dunmer how to turn the curse into something positive.

Divayth Fyr is incredibly powerful, particularly as a mage. He was once highly skilled in the dark art of necromancy, but deliberately chose not to use it to try and become immortal. He also has a deep understanding of other dimensions and can freely travel between them. At one point, the hero of Elder Scrolls Online assisted Sotha Sil in a battle against the Daedric Princess Nocturnal, and helped keep Sotha Sil alive within his 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

Mannimarco began as an exile from the Psijic Order due to his interest in necromancy. He eventually became one of the first liches on Nirn and led his own group, the Worm Cult. He cleverly manipulated events, briefly controlling the Empire of Cyrodiil during a turbulent time, and even succeeded in making necromancy an accepted practice within the Mages Guild.

Mannimarco’s most ambitious achievements likely stemmed from his repeated efforts to become a god. He famously tried to seize power from the Daedric Prince Molag Bal during the Planemeld, an attempt to merge Nirn with Oblivion, though he ultimately failed. In the events of Daggerfall, a strange anomaly called the Warp in the West granted him access to the Mantella, bringing him closer to godhood. This resulted in his physical form becoming the Necromancer’s Moon, which periodically empowers necromancers to create powerful black soul gems. Though he was later defeated and killed in Cyrodiil by the Hero of Kvatch, the moon remained, suggesting Mannimarco achieved a form of immortality.

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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

As a Dragonborn, the main character in Skyrim possesses a dragon soul, granting them the ability to use powerful shouts – words of power that can alter reality. They are foretold to defeat Alduin, a world-ending dragon threatening to destroy Nirn. Even aside from that monumental task, this Dragonborn is powerful enough to overcome formidable foes like Miraak, who was blessed by Herma Mora, and Lord Harkon, the original founder of a vampire lineage. But defeating Alduin, the very first dragon created by Akatosh, isn’t simply a matter of luck or the story requiring it – the Dragonborn truly earns that victory through their own strength.

Clavicus Vile, a Daedric Prince known for trickery, suggested the player character is incredibly powerful – almost as strong as him even when he’s at half strength. If this is true, it would mean the player is nearly a god. This idea is supported by in-game lore: a ghost mistook the player for Tiber Septim, a legendary figure who was essentially a god of creation and chaos. This mistake hints that the player might be a ‘Shezzarrine,’ which is the name given to incarnations of this powerful, god-like being.

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

Following the death of Saint Nerevar at Red Mountain, Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil learned to use Kagrenac’s Tools to draw power from the Heart of Lorkhan and become gods. This transformed the Chimer people into the Dunmer, and raised the three of them to become the divine rulers of Vvardenfell, known as the Tribunal. Every year, they returned to Red Mountain to reactivate the Tools on the Heart, replenishing their godhood. However, this reliance on the Heart – and the fact that they had to make a yearly journey to do so – became their greatest vulnerability when Dagoth-Ur awoke during the events of the game Morrowind.

Like the gods they aim to be like, The Elder Scrolls doesn’t often show the Tribunal using obvious displays of power. The clearest example is Vivec simply raising his hand to stop the meteor Baar Dau. There are also instances of Vivec, and once a combined effort by Almalexia and Sotha Sil, defeating forms of Molag Bal and sending him back to Oblivion. Sotha Sil also managed to banish Nocturne from his Clockwork City.

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

Because the Heart of Lorkhan is directly linked to the god Lorkhan, it’s understandable that Dagoth-Ur became a god after connecting with it. Unlike the Tribunal, he didn’t need Kagrenac’s Tools to achieve this, and his power remained complete even after being thought dead. When the Tribunal returned to Red Mountain for their yearly visit, as seen in Morrowind, Dagoth-Ur blocked their access, diminishing the Tribunal’s power while he continued to grow stronger.

When Kagrenac’s Tools were used to destroy the Heart of Lorkhan, Dagoth-Ur was weakened and ultimately defeated by the Nerevarine. But without a hero like Nerevar to oppose him, Dagoth-Ur is incredibly strong. He was responsible for the Ash Blight, a plague that spread disease across Vvardenfell, most notably Corprus – a powerful, otherworldly illness that twisted bodies and minds. Beyond that, Dagoth-Ur could control people by influencing their thoughts 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

The Hero of Kvatch began as a simple prisoner, but became crucial to protecting Martin Septim, the Emperor’s son and the one destined to save Cyrodiil from the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. During the Oblivion Crisis, the Hero helped Martin confront Dagon and shut down numerous Oblivion Gates, preventing a Daedric invasion. Though these actions might seem ordinary compared to other heroes in Tamriel, it was what happened after the Crisis that truly made the Hero of Kvatch one of the most powerful figures in Nirn.

Following the events of the Crisis, the Hero transforms into the Divine Crusader and triumphs over Umaril the Unfeathered, a powerful, immortal sorcerer connected to a bygone age and serving the Daedric Prince Meridia. More significantly, he is chosen by Sheogorath to succeed him as the Daedric Prince of Madness. This happens shortly after the original Sheogorath realizes he is actually Jyggalag, the Prince of Order, who was deceived into becoming his greatest enemy. As the new Sheogorath, the former Hero of Kvatch gains the ability to alter reality within the Shivering Isles, and can even extend this power to Tamriel, much like other Daedric Princes.

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

The nature of gods is complex in the world of The Elder Scrolls, especially considering how often they interact with people. That’s what makes the detailed history of Pelinal Whitestrake so fascinating. He’s famous as the closest friend and greatest warrior of Alessia, the Slave-queen, and is believed to be an immortal hero who appeared in Tamriel as a Shezarrine – a form of the god Lorkhan. Before he served Alessia, stories say Pelinal was an ancient conqueror who would fight, claim territory, and then move on to do it all again.

Pelinal became a key hero in Alessia’s fight against the oppressive ancient Ayleid elves. During this rebellion, he wore sacred Crusader’s Relics, which made him almost impossible to harm. The only one who ever managed to wound him was his enemy, Umaril the Unfeathered, after which other Ayleid kings killed and scattered his remains. Before this, Pelinal was a terrifying force, known for unpredictable fits of rage. These outbursts were so powerful that the Eight Divines had to intervene to prevent him from destroying entire lands. Once, when his friend Huna died, Pelinal was overcome with fury and, in his rage, effectively erased an entire month from the elvish calendar.

2026-05-10 04:08