Daedric Princes are icons of power in The Elder Scrolls universe and return in Skyrim. They toy with mortals for their enjoyment or to gain power. Players can assist these Daedric Princes in each of The Elder Scrolls titles to obtain powerful Daedric Artifacts. Just like Daedric Artifacts, not all Daedric Princes are created equal, but all do feature in Skyrim.
While it's hard to list the Daedric Princes as objectively weaker or stronger than others, players can view their actions and Artifacts to determine which Daedric Princes are more influential than others. Based on the events of Skyrim, here are all 17 Daedric Princes ranked from weakest to strongest.
Updated July 23, 2023 by Jake Fillery: Mortals all praise their own Daedra, and the most powerful Daedric Princes often fight and class for their worshippers to remain in eternal servitude. Every Daedric Prince appears in Skyrim in one way or another, and as good as it is to rank the strongest Daedric Princes, some players might want to know where to find Daedra in Skyrim.
Considering there are around 17 known Daedric Princes, it can be overwhelming for Skyrim players to catalog the strongest and the weakest of the bunch. Luckily, they can find what they seek here, with the addition of every Daedric quest in Skyrim that will have the player come face to voice with a powerful Lord and their chosen Daedric artifact.
17 Jyggalag
There was a time in the Elder Scrolls timeline when Jyggalag was unquestionably the strongest Daedric Prince in the franchise. His power was so vast that the other Daedra conspired against him, cursing him with his alter ego Sheogorath. Of course, fans that completed Oblivion's Shivering Isles DLC know that Jyggalag's curse has been broken. Even with his curse broken, the Prince still needs to regain his power. Based on his complete absence in Skyrim, it's safe to say that Jyggalag's power is still in its infancy.
Jyggalag’s Sword
To obtain the dreaded sword of Jyggalag, players will first need to reach the quest: Resorting Order. Players will find themselves within the Solitude Sewers during this quest, in which they will locate a strange and unique sword embedded into a tree.
Alternatively, players can find a unique version of Jyggalag’s Sword in Skyrim in The Mind of Madness quest, in which it will be used as a piece of cutlery to be picked up by the player if they feel so inclined whilst in Pelagius’ Mind.
16 Clavicus Vile
Few mortals worship Clavicus Vile, he is represented as two beings instead of one, and his influence is rather lacking in most Elder Scrolls titles. Clavicus Vile certainly has plenty of Daedric Artifacts under his name, but that is all this Prince has accomplished during Skyrim.
A Daedra’s Best Friend
To meet Clavicus Vile, players will need to communicate with his loyal hound, Barbas. Once players return Barbas to Clavicus Vile’s shrine at Haemar’s Shame, they will be able to commune with the Deadric Prince, and even be granted a reward if they feel so welcome to one, or rather murderous at that.
Players will have to return the Rueful Axe or kill Barbas with it. Either way, Clavicus Vile would like a conversation with the Dragonborn, even if it seems that Vile is uninterested in the adventures of his loyal pup. Players can start this quest by finding Barbas near the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary close to Falkreath.
15 Peryite
Skyrim's loading screen tips and various books mention how weak Peryite is when compared to other Princes. He is known for pestilence, disease, and order—not to be confused with Jyggalag's complete order—which makes him sound weak on paper. He has done little to prove this false, although some fans theorize Peryite is biding his time to show his true power.
The Only Cure
From Kesh the Clean at the Shrine to Peryite, players will be able to activate The Only Cure quest, in which the player will be tasked with assisting the Daedric Prince Peeryite to obtain a unique reward. This quest sees players fetch a bunch of ingredients, and then kill Orchendor.
In completing this quest, players will be able to commune with Peryite, and the completion of their task will net them the Spellbreaker shield. It’s always fun to talk to a Daedric Prince, even if that entity requires poison to converse with the legendary Dragonborn.
14 Namira
Namira is the Daedric Prince of Darkness. She oversees all taboo acts such as cannibalism and vile creatures. Few know of her plane of Oblivion and the full strength of Namira, making her feared by most mortals. Similar to Sanguine, so little has been done by Namira on the mortal plane that she doesn't have the same strength as other Princes during the Fourth Era.
The Taste Of Death
To feel closer to Namira, human flesh needs to be consumed. The Taste of Death will guide players through this journey of cannibalism, assisted by the leader of this hungry cult, Eola. The quest involves taking players through the Hall of the Dead and the Shrine of Namira to seek a Daedric reward.
When players do decide to have a nibble on human flesh, they will get to talk to Namira, the Lady of Decay. She presents the Dragonborn with the Ring of Namira, which will allow players to feed on human flesh, providing them with +50 stamina, health, and health regeneration for five minutes after consumption.
13 Sanguine
Sanguine is the Daedric Prince of dark desire. Gluttony and sin are the two pillars of this Daedric Prince, which is mainly why so many mortals worship him. Worship directly leads to power since he has more mortals to influence, meaning that Sanguine is likely much stronger than he lets on. Still, he has done little with that power for mortals to witness.
A Night To Remember
The Dragonborn goes on a bender that sees them dazed and confused in A Night to Remember. This Daedric Quest will see the player party up with Sam Guevenne in a drinking contest, with the winner receiving a magical staff. However, Sam Guevenne at The Misty Grove isn’t what he seems.
It turns out that Sam is the anagram for “Sanguine”, and players were partying with a Daedric Prince. It turns out that the player can have a fun night with the Daedric Prince, even if they don’t remember it. At least they have a token of their good night together with the Daedric Artifact – the Sanguine Rose.
12 Meridia
Meridia is a great example of a powerful being that has lost their way. Meridia was originally a Magna Ge, one of the older species that fled when reality or "Mundus" was created. Through a series of unclear events, Meridia went from a Magna Ge to a Daedric Prince.
Her powers are high with her ability to bend light to smite undead. Unfortunately, she can only act through her agents. Yelling people to place Meridia's Beacon can only do so much.
The Break Of Dawn
Players may find themselves discovering the Meridia’s Beacon item in a random location after they hit Level 12. After this, they will be tasked with returning it to the Statue of Meridia. Meridia will task the player with destroying the darkness that has spread within her temple.
In this quest, players will battle necromancers under the rule of Malkoran. In fulfilling Meridia’s wishes, players will be granted Dawnbreaker, a wonderous sword. This is also one of the rare instances where Meridia will speak to the player directly as the image of great light.
11 Mephala
Mephala is the Daedric Prince of secrets and lies. She is known as a Webspinner for her meddling with the Chimer, guiding them to Morrowind and helping the Dunmer devise their clans or Houses. She is also responsible for the Morag Tong's inception. Without her, the Dark Brotherhood wouldn't exist and many of the franchise's most iconic moments would have never occurred. Despite this, the fall of the Morag Tong has made her much less powerful in the mortal realm.
The Whispering Door
Within Whiterun lies a mystery, and a door with darkness that looms over a young boy. Inside The Bannered Mare, players will activate The Whispering Door quest, where they will investigate the mysterious Whispering Lady in Dragonsreach that hides behind a locked door. It’s up to the player to find out the mystery of this Whispering Lady, and what she wants with the Jarl of Whiterun’s troubled son.
It turns out that this whispering voice is none other than Mephala, the Lady of Whispers. Players should fear her for the way she strings together webs of love, hatred, loyalty, and betrayal. Players will need to find a way to open the door, and all that awaits them inside is the Ebony Blade, a darkness-imbued katana.
10 Vaermina
Harnessing the power of dreams, Vaermina is a deceptively strong Daedric Prince. She visits mortals in their dreams and turns their humble slumber into a nightmare. Some mages believe that Vaermina's influence on dreams is tied directly to the source of magic itself. Furthermore, Vaermina also appears to know how to cure vampirism based on dialogue in Morrowind.
Waking Nightmare
Priesthood can be a tricky thing in Skyrim, especially when Daedric entities seem to love controlling the worship of others. Players can meet Erandur in Dawnstar, who is a priest of Mara, but formerly a priest of Vaermina. His task, alongside the Dragonborn, is to finally put a stop to the nightmares that are plaguing the population of Dawnstar.
This mission will see the supposed deception of the Daedric Prince, Vaermina, who commands the Dragonborn to kill Erandur. This dreaded Daedric Lord commands nightmares and other psychological torments and evils, and players should ignore her commands for help.
9 Nocturnal
Nocturnal is a strange Deadric Prince in that certain games and books refer to her as an Ur-Dra, meaning she was the first of her kind. In this case, it refers to being the void itself before Mundus and Oblivion were created. Should this be taken at face value, she should be considered the strongest Daedric Princes hands-down.
That said, there is no hard evidence that supports these claims besides her dialogue in The Elder Scrolls Online. Disregarding this fact, she is still a powerful Prince that holds much power thanks to her skilled thieves and Nightingales that worship her.
Darkness Returns
The central quest line involving the Thieves Guild will eventually see the player venture to the Twilight Sepulcher, in which they will be tasked with returning the Skeleton Key to complete their mission to Nocturnal, the Daedric Prince of night and darkness.
Through many trials, players will be able to meet this Daedric Prince, face to face. Nocturnal will appear in front of the Dragonborn, and converse with them for a time. Afterward, players may have lost the Skeleton Key, but they have gained new stealth-related powers as a Nightingale.
8 Hircine
Hunting is Hircine's purpose. Every one thousand years, this Daedric Prince will commence a "Great Hunt" that involves spawning his creations into Tamriel to hunt down "prey." The purpose of each Great Hunt can vary wildly, but it is known how devastating these can be as seen in Morrowind's Bloodmoon expansion. Hircine also birthed Lycanthropy, the disease that causes mortals to turn into beasts. His Artifacts are also something to behold with the likes of Savior's Hide and the Spear of Bitter Mercy belonging to him.
Ill Met By Moonlight
To gain Hircine’s favor, players will need to assist a werewolf of the Daedric Prince’s design, Sinding. In helping this werewolf survive the hunt against him, the Dragonborn will obtain Hircine’s Ring. It’s an easy quest to obtain once players head to Falkreath.
During the hunt, players will witness a blood moon, as well as a unique forest area. The choice is theirs on whether they hunt Sinding or the hunters, but either way, they will commune with yet another Daedric Prince to cross off their god-celebrity list.
7 Malacath
What better way to display a Daedric Prince's power than to have an entire people worship them? Despite the distrust Orcs have towards Daedra, most Orcs worship Malacath, the Exiled One. Originally the Aedra Trinimac, he was fooled by Boethiah and turned into an Orc alongside his followers. Most Daedra don't accept him as a true Prince, but he does not need their acceptance, as he needs only his Orc people if he wanted to take Tamriel.
The Cursed Tribe
Orc tribes worship the Daedric Lord Malacath and prefer to keep to themselves when it comes to outsiders. They don’t like anyone going near their camps, but the Largashbur chief, Yamarz, makes an exception after he has fallen ill with a curse.
Players are tasked with locating and contacting Malacath to help guide the Orc tribe. In reward for this service, they will be given Malacath’s artifact, the powerful two-handed weapon of Volendrung.
6 Boethiah
Despite how little players interact with Boethiah, the Prince of Plots is surprisingly powerful. It is thanks to Boethiah that Trinimac became Malacath, the Aldmer became the Chimer, and why the Dunmer has a strange religion. Dark Elves revere Boethiah despite their philosophy being focused on suffering. Boethiah is one of the stronger Princes.
Boethiah’s Calling
After reaching Level 30, players should look for the book Boethiah’s Proving, which will spawn in random locations. Upon reading this book, they will activate the Boethiah’s Calling quest, where they will then travel to the cold regions of the Sacellum of Boethiah.
The bizarreness of this quest involves killing the entire cult of Boethiah after conversing with Boethiah. After everyone at Knifepoint Ridge has been eradicated, players will obtain the Ebony Mail weapon.
5 Hermaeus Mora
Said to be the amalgamation of all the Aedra's lost ideas, Hermaeus Mora is the Daedric Prince of knowledge. He is ever-knowing thanks to his realm of Apocrypha having every book that has and ever will be written.
Despite the Prince's endless knowledge, he is unable to act on his own. Artifacts such as the powerful Oghma Infinium required mortals to create as Hermaeus Mora could not make them himself.
Discerning The Transmundane
Septimus Signus will provide players with this quest once they reach Septimus Signus’s Outpost during the main quest of Skyrim, Elder Knowledge. This quest will have players meeting the horrific entity and Daedric Prince, Hermaeus Mora.
Upon meeting this scary Daedra, players will be tasked with a rather cruel method of murder, and then, the Oghma Infinium, a one-time artifact that will permanently boost a chosen set of skills thanks to the power of Hermaeus Mora.
4 Molag Bal
The Prince of Domination has had his fair share of influence on the mortal realm. He has tried to invade Tamriel with his Dark Anchors from Coldharbour. While he was defeated, Molag Bal never gave up on his quest for total domination over mortals. As the father of vampires, his reign of terror has never truly ended.
The House Of Horrors
Within the Abandoned House in Markarth, players will find hauntings that will have them spooked, especially when they stumble upon the Shrine of Molag Bal, hidden within. This is the start of The House of Horrors, a quest directly related to Molag Bal.
Players can gain Molag Bal’s favor by taking his mace and using it on Logrolf, beating him into submission, and then killing him. Molag Bal is a rather sinister Daedric Prince, so players should be careful around this one.
3 Azura
Calling Azura powerful would be a major understatement. She is responsible for the Nerevar's reincarnation in Morrowind, the curse that turned the Chimer into the Dunmer and is responsible for the existence of the Khajiit. Her influence over mortal society is immediately apparent with her various shrines that dot Tamriel. She has many followers, has some of the strongest Artifacts in The Elder Scrolls lore, and will not hesitate to curse an entire race of people for breaking an oath.
The Black Star
Aranea Lenith will seek out the Dragonborn and task them with recovering Azura’s Star, restoring its great power at the Shrine of Azura atop a mountain in Winterhold. Players will need to clear out the darkness and kill the dreaded and corrupted necromancers to commune with this Daedric Lord.
However, players are given a split choice between helping Azura or Nelacar, but it’s probably best to help Azura, considering players will want to remain friendly with a Daedric Lord, and it’s always nice to receive a new Daedric Artifact and commune with a literal god.
2 Mehrunes Dagon
Mehrunes Dagon should need no introduction for Elder Scrolls fans. This Daedric Prince of destruction is so focused on killing mortals that he has invaded Tamriel not once but three times! He attacked Mournhold in the First Era, attacked the Imperial Battlespire, and went as far as to invade the entire continent in the Third Era. This particular invasion was so severe that Akatosh, God of Time itself, needed to be summoned to end the Oblivion Crisis. Mehrunes Dagon is power incarnate.
Pieces Of The Past
The owner of a museum in Dawnstar invites the Dragonborn to visit their exhibit of Daedric odds and trinkets, and the Museum of the Mythic Dawn is very much in need of donations and further discoveries. This is where the Dragonborn comes in, as they can assist Silus Vesulus in recovering and reforging the Daedric Artifact, Mehrunes’ Razor.
In completing parts of this quest, players will be able to interact with Dagon, another Daedric Prince that will, of course, want to see the death of Silus. There’s a strange obsession with murder amongst these Daedra, and the Dragonborn’s place amongst it.
1 Sheogorath
Sheogorath can be considered the strongest Daedric Prince in The Elder Scrolls due to his insanity. His out-of-the-box thinking has allowed Sheogorath to best the likes of Hircine, Malacath, and Vaermina with ease. He has also influenced Mundus in ways that shouldn't be possible such as throwing a moon at Vivec City just because the Dunmer disliked him. He's unpredictable, cunning, and able to break laws most Daedra need to abide by. That is a recipe for untold power.
The Mind Of Madness
Perhaps the best Daedric Quest in Skyrim, The Mind of Madness will see the player meet the most bizarre, charismatic, and joyous Daedric Prince of all: Sheogorath. To entertain this great one, players will need to find Dervenin within Solitude and access the Pelagius Wing to tell Sheogorath that it’s time to come home from his vacation.
The quest is a lot of fun, and the interactions with Sheogorath are legendary. Perhaps even better, is the fact that players will be able to hold onto the Wabbajack, a Daedric Artifact that has some unusual properties and powers.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.