There is a distinct lack of customizability in Skyrim when it comes to mount choices. In the base game players can only ride three unique horses – Shadowmere, Frost, and Arvak – and horses bought from stablemasters have no differences save for the color and pattern of their coat. With Skyrim Anniversary Edition installed players get a few more options, including the Daedric Horse.
The Daedric Horse works much like Arvak, in that it can be summoned to temporarily become the player's mount. It looks like a Dremora's idea of a horse featuring deep crimson accents, metal plating, and eyes that are as firey as its stride. It has some unique properties that make it well worth collecting, though finding it does require Skyrim Anniversary Edition.
Updated May 1, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The Daedric Horse is one of Skyrim's coolest-looking horses. Included with Anniversary Edition as part of the Skyrim The Cause creation the Daedric Horse is one of the best summons thanks to its ability to be both a tank in combat and a mount that can come back after death. There are two methods when it comes to how to get the Daedric Horse in Skyrim: heading to the Deadlands as part of a questline in The Cause, or getting lucky with loot tables and finding it elsewhere in the world as a Spell Tome. The questline is a guaranteed way to come across this horse, but there are ways to increase your chances of finding it out in the rest of Skyrim too.
Daedric Horse Stats And Unique Features
The Daedric Horse gets a leg up on other Skyrim horses thanks to its much higher Health pool. With a sturdy 1637 Max Health it's able to withstand all but the longest falls and hardest hits. In fact, if acquired at an early level, it's not a bad idea to use it as a combat summon thanks to its tankiness. Its kick attack isn't the strongest thing in the world, but Skyrim's Daedric Horse is great at distracting.
Just like Arvak, the Daedric Horse doesn't stay around forever. It lasts for 60 seconds once cast, more than double if dual-cast. However, if the player is riding the Daedric Horse when these 60 seconds run out, it won't despawn and will continue to serve the player as a mount until they get off. It's summoned with an Apprentice-level Conjuration spell, so even low-Magicka players can use this summon if they find the Spell Tome early enough.
Method One: The Cause and The Deadlands
The Daedric Horse is found as part of the Skyrim Anniversary Edition Creation The Cause, which takes players to see what the Mythic Dawn cult has been up to since the Oblivion Crisis. During the questline players travel to the Deadlands, where they encounter various Daedra and Dremora including the Daedric Horse.
The Daedric Horse is an enemy at first and must be defeated to get one as a summonable mount. Defeat the Daedric Horse Skyrim presents you with here (and the nearby Valkyn and enemies who will likely aggro) and look around its location for Spell Tome: Summon Daedric Horse. It should be lying on a surface, but it can get blown away if you use the Unrelenting Force shout in the fight.
Method Two: Random Loot Tables
Spell Tome: Conjure Daedric Horse can also rarely be found in normal loot tables throughout Skyrim starting at level 10. It has a very low drop rate, so low that players are more likely to pick up a second Meridia's Beacon than find this spell tome. The best way to increase your chances of finding it this way are to loot every container you see that can hold books, like chests and bookshelves. It's ultimately a lottery with Skyrim's loot table, so check everything you see for more opportunities to trigger it to spawn.
When you get this Spell Tome, click on it in your Book section of the Inventory to add it to your list of learned Spells, then navigate to your Magic menu. Equip it in the Conjuration screen to one (or both) of your hands, and you will be able to summon the Daedric Horse on any normal surface. It is an Apprentice-level spell that costs 136 Magicka to cast, and it benefits from the Conjuration Skill Tree like any other summoning spell.
Skyrim Special Edition is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S