The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim turned ten years old this year, and it's barely aged a day. While its visuals might not be the most impressive by today's standards, there's plenty of Skyrim mods to sort that out, and Skyrim's core gameplay, and the engrossing narratives it weaves, is still worth revisiting all these years later.
For players returning to Skyrim after a lengthy hiatus, there are a few key items that can make your time in Tamriel a little easier in the Anniversary Edition. Daedric Artifacts are weapons, armor sets, and magical items that can be found across Skyrim by completing a series of Daedric quests. While some of these items look more flashy then they actually are, there are a good few that pack a serious punch.
Oghma Infinium
A powerful and ancient book of the arcane, the Oghma Infinium was written by the sage Xarxes, and bestowed upon the Deadric Prince Hermaeus Mora. The tome, once read, vanishes from the reader's hand, returning to its rightful place in Oblivion.
In Skyrim, the Oghma Infinium has the power to level up the player's skills multiple times. One of three paths can be chosen, the "Path of Might," the "Path of Shadow," and the "Path of Magic." Choosing the first will level up all of the player's combat proficiencies, with a generous five skill points being added to One-Handed, Two-Handed, Smithing, Archery, Block, and Heavy Armor. The Path of Shadow does the same for all stealth-related stats, and the Path of Magic does the same for all magic-related skills.
Naturally, this is extremely helpful for the player, as it gives them not only 30 free skill points overall, but also contributes to the player's overall level, as each skill point gained also raises the main level progress bar. So, if a player is close to levelling up, then the likelihood is that they'll get to use the Oghma Infinium to also invest in a new skill.
Spellbreaker
The only Daedric Artifact that's a shield, Spellbreaker is extremely useful for those who still need to hunt down the various dragons of Skyrim. The shield's usefulness comes from its inherent Ward ability, which activates when the shield is charged up. This Ward power gives fifty points of magic resistance to the player for a few seconds following activation, which essentially renders all dragon breath attacks nullified. Though, it should be noted that when Spellbreaker's Ward effect wares off, the shield cannot be used for a second, even to block standard attacks.
Skeleton Key
The Skeleton Key Daedric Artifact can be one of the most useful items in the entire game, depending on a player's own unique build and playstyle. The Key gives the player essentially an unbreakable lockpick, which can be used on any standard door (no puzzle doors). So, if a player uses stealth a lot and attains the Skeleton Key near the start of their playthrough (by finishing the "Blindsighted" Thieves Guild quest,) then the Key has a lot of potential to be used. On the other hand, if the player already has a high lockpick skill and has the perk "Unbreakable" unlocked, then there's no real use for the Key.
Ebony Mail
The Ebony Mail set of armor can be a pretty useful Daedric Artifact, but again, it's really down to how the player uses it. The armor muffles the player's footsteps, increasing their chances of successfully stealthing through an environment. However, the armor also poisons any enemy that's in the immediate vicinity of the player. This can be both a blessing and a curse.
While the armor does have a muffle effect, the secondary poison effect can actually alert nearby enemies to the player's presence, as they take five points of damage per second from the poison, giving them plenty of time to notice the player and begin a fight. That being said, the poison effect is only activated when crouching or when combat is engaged, so it is possible to sneak around without alerting anyone. If the player has a high enough Sneak skill, then they'll likely avoid detection even with the poison effect being active.
The Black Star
If the Broken Azura Star item is handed over to Nelacar, then it transforms into The Black Star, which essentially acts as an infinite black soul gem. This means that the Black Star can hold both black souls and standard white souls, of any level. The Black Star can never be destroyed upon use, and can therefore be used repeatedly for an entire playthrough.
The Black Star is generally recommended over the Azura Star (gained by handing in the broken Star to Aranea Ienith instead) as there are not many Grand-level white souls throughout Skyrim, so taking the Black Star will help the player to level up their Enchanting proficiency at a faster rate. The only downside to taking this version of the Star is that Aranea cannot be gained as a companion.
Ebony Blade
A standard of just about any Skyrim build, regardless of class proficiencies, the Ebony Blade is a two-handed sword (that swings faster than a one-handed weapon) that packs a very powerful punch. Along with its high damage, the Ebony Blade absorbs the health of those it hits.
This Absorb Health ability starts with a 10-point drain, but can be upgraded multiple times by killing companions that are "friendly" to the player. Upon killing two companions, the Blade's Absorb Health ability is upgraded, giving an additional four points of drain damage. Up to ten companions can be consumed, giving the sword a maximum of 30 points of health drain per hit.
There's no denying that, once upgraded, the Ebony Blade may just be Skyrim's finest weapon. Although, the player can't upgrade the sword, its speed and ferocity makes it a weapon that will get the player out of the vast majority of Skyrim's most dangerous encounters with barely a scrape.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.