The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's daedric gear is the most powerful set that players can collect. The weapons come with the highest stats available in the game, but they require quite a bit of work to obtain in the first place. Their twisted, demonic look complements the newfound power level that players find themselves with after equipping daedric gear, and this isn't a purely aesthetic choice.
Daedric weapons in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim hide their true origins from casual players who aren't digging into the series' lore. After all, the most powerful weapons in the game must have some kind of justification for their power. This secret source of power delves deeper into the deities of The Elder Scrolls universe, revealing a terrifying reality behind what average civilians could encounter every day.
Daedric Weapons are an Incomprehensible Horror in The Elder Scrolls
In the Elder Scrolls universe, various rumors exist for how daedric weaponry is forged, leaning on the set's evil nature by saying they must be forged at night or under a full moon. These are likely untrue, as the player simply requires some ebony ingots and a daedra heart to craft them, with game mechanics allowing for this at any time of day. On the surface, Skyrim's daedric weapons and armor are relatively plain, similar to most other recipes. However, the devil is in the details, as the materials used to create daedric weapons suggest something more sinister.
Ebony is one of the strongest materials found throughout the franchise, because despite it being used like an everyday volcanic glass, its origins are divine. Ebony is actually the crystallized blood of a god named Lorkhan. The blood spilled from The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind's Heart of Lorkhan when it was cast out into the sea and formed the volcanic island now known as Vvardenfell. Ebony can help individuals transcend their normal limitations, and its relationship to the daedra is all the more malevolent as a result.
By taking ebony ingots and combining it with daedric essence, the player isn't simply following through with a crafting recipe, they are essentially corrupting a dead god's essence to create something more horrific. Daedric weapons and armor are the corruption of divinity, as if a way for the daedra to get back at their aedric counterparts by showing that they are capable of ruining their essence.
One of the scariest parts about this idea is that the mortal perception of daedric weapons cannot be counted upon as reliable fact. Daedric weapons appear horribly inefficient, as their jagged edges and spikes make them look like they would easily get caught on flesh. However, that is simply the mortal perception of them, as regular people in The Elder Scrolls universe are incapable of truly perceiving how they look. What players see is just their character's mind attempting to understand Skyrim's daedric artifacts and weapons.
Despite their outward appearance as evil-looking, top-tier weapons, daedric gear ultimately amounts to much more than that. It represents the corruption of divinity and the revelation that no one is safe from daedric influence, knowing that some forces are too powerful for mere mortals to fully comprehend. Players should think about that the next time they try to craft Skyrim's most powerful weapons.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.