The Daedric Princes of the Elder Scrolls series are some of the most iconic pantheonic creatures in video games, often cited as players' favorite parts of any given Elder Scrolls game. In Skyrim there are 15 quests players can take on related to 15 different Daedric Princes, each with unique rewards, requirements, and tasks related to that Prince's domain.
The only Daedric Prince not referenced in Skyrim is Jyggalag, who was last seen at the end of the Shivering Isles DLC for Oblivion. Nocturnal doesn't have a specific quest for an artifact but is instead intertwined with the Theives Guild story. The Daedric Princes offer some of the most memorable questlines in all of Skyrim, like A Night To Remember and the brutal House of Horrors.
Waking Nightmares – Vaermina
- Requirements: None
- Quest Rewards: Skull of Corruption
Vaermina is the Daedric Prince of Nightmares, and her quest Waking Nightmares in Skyrim has the Dragonborn stop the destruction of her Daedric Artifact, the Skull of Corruption. The quest is interesting in concept, but compared to other Daedric Prince quests it's a little underwhelming.
Waking Nightmares can be started in Dawnstar by speaking to Erandur in the Windpeak Inn. The reward for completing this Daedric Quest is the Skull of Corruption itself in the form of a staff that increases its damage if the player has absorbed dreams from sleeping NPCs.
The Only Cure – Peryite
- Requirements: Level 12
- Quest Rewards: Spellbreaker
Peryite is one of the least-prominent Daedric Princes, but his role as the Lord of Pestilence makes him an important one. His quest in Skyrim, The Only Cure, sends the Dragonborn to collect ingredients, make incense, and commune with Peryite. After this, players are sent to kill an Elf in a Dwemer Ruin – ultimately the quest is only worth doing for the reward: Spellbreaker.
Spellbreaker is a shield that casts a low-level Ward spell when blocking, and is considered heavy armor with an armor rating of 38. This quest can be started by going to the Shrine of Peryite at level 12 and speaking to Kesh, an acolyte of Peryite.
Ill Met By Moonlight – Hircine
- Requirements: None
- Quest Rewards: Savior's Hide OR Ring of Hircine
Hircine is the Daedric Prince of the Hunt, represented in The Elder Scrolls as an antlered spirit enshrouded in vines. Hircine's quest, Ill Met by Moonlight, has the Dragonborn commune with an Aspect of Hircine and make the choice to kill or spare a Werewolf.
Start Ill Met by Moonlight in Falkreath Jail, located just underneath the Barracks. Find a Nord named Sinding who gives the player the Cursed Ring of Hircine. Players will get one of two items based on their choices: the Savior's Hide, a light armor that increases Magic resist by 15% and Poison resist by 50%, or Hircine's Ring, which allows infinite Werewolf transformations.
The Cursed Tribe – Malacath
- Requirements: Level 9
- Quest Rewards: Volendrung
Malacath is the Daedric Prince of the Ostracized and the primary deity worshipped by the Orsimer. His quest, The Cursed Tribe, sees the player help an Orc with lifting a curse placed on her stronghold, resulting in a journey to defeat a Giant and retrieve a legendary warhammer. As cool as it is to kill a Giant underground, the main reason to complete this quest is Volendrung.
One of the most coveted weapons in Skyrim, the two-handed hammer Volendrung absorbs 50 Stamina with each hit, making it a must-have for players going down the Stamina route. Start this quest by heading to Largashbur, the Orc Stronghold below Lake Honrich in the mountains southeast of Ivarstead.
The Whispering Door – Mephala
- Requirements: Level 20, main quest "Dragon Rising" completed
- Quest Rewards: The Ebony Blade
Mephala is the Daedric Prince of Lies, Secrets, and Murder, and her quest The Whispering Door revolves around these very concepts. Jarl Balgruuf's son Nelkir has been hearing things coming from a door in the basement of Dragonsreach. The key is only held by the Jarl or the court wizard, who must either be pickpocketed or killed to enter the door.
On the other side of the door is the Ebony Blade, a two-handed sword that increases in power based on the number of innocents slain with it (which is explained by Mephala in-game). Start The Whispering Door by heading to The Bannered Mare, then speak with Hulda about rumors until she mentions Nelkir.
Pieces of the Past – Mehrunes Dagon
- Requirements: Level 20
- Quest Rewards: Mehrunes' Razor
Mehrunes Dagon was the primary antagonist in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and his quest in Skyrim, Pieces of the Past, directly references the events of the Oblivion Crisis. Silus operates the Museum of the Mythic Dawn in Dawnstar and wants to put the pieces to Mehrunes' Razor back together. After finding the pieces, Dagon tells the player to kill Silus.
Doing this grants Mehrunes' Razor, which has an extremely small chance to instantly kill just about any opponent in the game (except Miraak and Karstaag). It doesn't proc very often, but when it does it's incredibly satisfying. This quest is started at level 20 when a courier delivers a letter inviting them to the Museum.
The Taste of Death – Namira
- Requirements: None
- Quest Rewards: Ring of Namira
Namira is the Daedric Prince of Darkness, whose Skyrim quest The Taste of Death results in the player becoming a cannibal. There are benefits to this, of course, but first, the Dragonborn must complete a questline involving Markarth's Hall of the Dead, a cave of Draugr, and a sacrifice.
The Ring of Namira is the Daedric Artifact granted for completing this quest, which increases Stamina by 50 and gives the ability to eat corpses for a tidy Health Regeneration buff. Start this quest in Markarth by speaking with Brother Verulus at Understone Keep.
Discerning the Transmundane – Hermaeus Mora
- Requirements: Level 15
- Quest Rewards: Get to read the Oghma Infinium
Discerning the Transmundane is a quest voiced by two of the most instantly-recognizable characters in Skyrim: the mad scholar Septimus Signus and Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of Knowledge. Players must collect the blood of all Mer races in Tamriel to open up a Dwemer cube which Signus believes contains the Heart of Lorkhan.
For completing this quest players read the Oghma Infinium, a Daedric Artifact that increases the level of skills in one of three categories, so Magicka users can choose to get a +5 to all schools of magic, for example. This quest starts automatically during the main quest or at Level 15 by heading to Septimus Signus' outpost north of the College of Winterhold.
A Daedra's Best Friend – Clavicus Vile
- Requirements: Level 10
- Quest Rewards: Masque of Clavicus Vile OR Rueful Axe
Clavicus Vile is the Daedric Prince of Bargains and is nearly always accompanied by Barbas, his hound. They both have very iconic voices that only just start to grate on the ears by the end of the questline A Daedra's Best Friend, which sees the player follow Barbas and commune with Vile directly.
Depending on the player's choices they can either receive the Rueful Axe, a two-handed axe that deals 20 Stamina damage, or the Masque of Clavicus Vile, which makes Prices 20% better, increases Speech by 10 points, and slightly increases Magicka regeneration. Start this quest by heading to Falkreath at Level 10 and talking to Lod.
A Night To Remember – Sanguine
- Requirements: Level 14
- Quest Rewards: Sanguine Rose
Sanguine is the Daedric Prince of Revelry and Hedonism, whose quest A Night To Remember is one of the most memorable quests in all of Skyrim. Often described by players as The Hangover in Skyrim, A Night To Remember sees players retrace their steps after a night of heavy drinking.
At the end of the questline, Sanguine gives the player the Sanguine Rose in person. This staff summons a Dremora as an ally for 60 seconds that is leveled according to the player's level. To start this quest, head to any major hold capital's inn and look for a man named Sam Guevenne, who will offer to start a drinking contest.
Boethiah's Calling – Boethiah
- Requirements: Level 30
- Quest Rewards: Ebony Mail
Boethiah, the Daedric Prince of Deceit and Conspiracy, will only speak to the Dragonborn if they do something just plain evil – they need to bring a follower to the shrine, and sacrifice them. After this, the player is told to fight to the death with other followers of Boethiah, after which they are granted the Ebony Mail artifact. It's a hectic quest that forces players to make a difficult choice.
The Ebony Mail is a heavy armor piece that gives the player a constant Muffle effect as well as deals poison damage to enemies who stand too close. Start this quest at Level 30 by looking for the book "Boethiah's Proving" or head directly to the Sacellum of Boethiah to the east of Windhelm.
The Black Star – Azura
- Requirements: None
- Quest Rewards: Azura's Star OR The Black Star
Azura is the Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn and one of the few considered to be not completely evil. Her quest, The Black Star, sees the player track down the previous Champion of Azura who took advantage of her Daedric Artifact and defiled it.
If the player goes back to Azura, they receive Azura's Star, but if they choose another course in the questline they receive the Black Star. They are both Soul Gems with unlimited uses, but the Black Star can trap Black Souls (Men, Mer, and some other conscious creatures). Head to the Shrine of Azura in the mountains southwest of Winterhold to start this quest.
The Break of Dawn – Meridia
- Requirements: Level 12
- Quest Rewards: Dawnbreaker
Perhaps the most well-known item in Skyrim is Meridia's Beacon, which loudly tells the player that they are Meridia's chosen one to wipe out the corruption of her beloved temple. The mechanics in this questline are pretty fun (and the use of light is especially beautiful) but the main reason to get this quest done is Dawnbreaker.
The one-handed sword Dawnbreaker is a powerful Artifact that deals 10 Fire damage and causes Undead to explode on death. It's one of the coolest artifacts in the game, and the quest The Break Of Dawn is very easy to start. Just head to any dungeon in Skyrim and check every chest for Meridia's Beacon, a geometric sphere-like object.
The House of Horrors – Molag Bal
- Requirements: None
- Quest Rewards: Mace of Molag Bal
Molag Bal is the Daedric Prince of Domination and is responsible for the Planemeld crisis seen in The Elder Scrolls Online. His quest in Skyrim, The House of Horrors, is one of the most memorable as it forces the player to beat up an old man and force him to renounce Boethiah and submit to Molag Bal. It's brutal, fitting for the most classically evil Daedric Prince.
The Mace of Molag Bal is the reward for helping to purify the shrine to this Daedric Prince, which is enchanted to soul trap on hit with a lot of uses. Head to Markarth and look for a Vigilant of Stendaar outside the Abandoned House in the middle of the lowest level of the city to start this quest.
The Mind of Madness – Sheogorath
- Requirements: None
- Quest Rewards: The Wabbajack
Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, was featured in Oblivion's Shivering Isles DLC and returns in Skyrim to transport the player to another realm once again – this time it's not the shivering isles, rather the inside of Emperor Pelagius the Third's broken mind. The player is tasked with helping to fix it for Sheogorath, for which they are given the Wabbajack.
The Wabbajack is possibly the most famous Daedric Artifact in Skyrim thanks to its completely random spellcasting ability. Point this staff at an enemy, cast, and the spell or effect that comes out is completely randomized (for better or worse). Head to Solitude and speak with the beggar Dervenin to begin The Mind of Madness.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S