Few figures in Skyrim's lore are as harrowing and enigmatic as the Dragon Priests. In life, these powerful mages served under dragon overlords. Intoxicated by the promise of great power, they willingly aided in the subjugation of humanity. When the dragons disappeared, the Priests were thought to vanish with them—but alas, they simply lay in wait, forgotten in Skyrim's ruins.
By the time Skyrim takes place, they lie trapped in the restless sleep of the undead—until the Dragonborn comes knocking at their coffins. Armed with Shouts and powerful magics, Dragon Priests are some of the most powerful and mysterious enemies the player can face. Based on their legacies within the Dragon Cult as well as their in-game combat difficulty, here is every Dragon Priest in the game, ranked according to power.
13 Morokei
Central to the College of Winterhold questline, Morokei rests imprisoned in Labyrinthian. He is the only Dragon Priest who speaks to the Dragonborn in their own language—completely draining the player's magicka when he does.
Morokei is by no means weak; however, three College apprentices managed to seal him away for several decades. Though his fight can be tricky for mages, it's one of the more winnable Dragon Priest encounters, which makes sense considering Savos Aren and company trapped him once before.
12 Otar the Mad
Once a well-loved and benevolent ruler, unknown forces corrupted the mind of this ancient Nordic king. Under this mysterious influence, Otar went mad and turned down a path of violence and destruction, until two warriors under his rule overthrew and imprisoned him.
Like Morokei, Otar is shown to have been defeated once, guarded now by the ghosts of his vanquishers. Once released, he attacks with shock spells, the weakest form of Destruction magic. While he's no pushover, battling him is less demanding than many of his brethren.
11 Vokun
Like most Dragon Priests, Vokun's spells focus on a single element: in his case, fire. He is by no means easy to conquer, but he doesn't have any particular tricks up his sleeve.
Little lore exists about Vokun. Players' only information comes from a plucky Nord woman named Anska, who claims he possesses a scroll linking her lineage to Ysgramor. Yet players never learn why Vokun holds this scroll, or whether he himself is connected to Ysgramor. Perhaps his legacy was lost to time, or perhaps it was simply less noteworthy than his peers.
10 Hevnoraak
Once obsessed with resurrection and immortality, Hevnoraak rests in the ruins of Valthume. Upon entering, the spirit of a warrior named Valdar requests the Dragonborn's help in waking the Dragon Priest and killing him once and for all.
Hevnoraak's shock spells are less debilitating than fire or frost; however, his Wall of Storms staff makes it difficult for melee-based attackers to corner him. However, archers can take him out fairly easily with a powerful bow, and mages can use ranged spells to cripple him.
9 Rahgot
In life, Rahgot led a chapter of the Dragon Cult—whom he drove to mass suicide in an effort to protect himself. The notes and journals found throughout the ruin of Forelhost demonstrate the cruel, sadistic nature with which he ruled his followers. Like any cult leader, Rahgot held powerful sway over the minds and souls in his grasp.
Rahgot fights the Dragonborn with fire spells, causing crippling lingering damage. His attacks are no more deadly than most other Dragon Priests—but no less powerful either.
8 Krosis
A frost-based Dragon Priest, Krosis is unique in that he uses a Staff of Fireballs rather than a staff of his element. This makes him a somewhat more difficult enemy: The slowed movement of Frost spells combined with long-lasting burning damage can be debilitating.
Like Vokun, little is known about Krosis' feats; however, he is the only Priest with a dragon guarding his resting place. This makes his fight considerably harder, and may point towards Krosis' power and favor with his dragon masters.
7 Zahkriisos
Zahkriisos is the only Dragon Priest aside from Miraak whose level scales with the Dragonborn, ranging from 25-60. However, this doesn't mean lower-level players should challenge him lightly. His shock spells are amplified by his mask's enchantment, making him especially dangerous to mages.
Like his brethren on Solstheim, Zahkriisos is linked to Hermaeus Mora, as evidenced by his summoning Seekers in battle. Deriving power from both the ancient dragons and a Daedric lord, the Solstheim Princes rival their mainland counterparts when it comes to knowledge and power.
6 Volsung
Found at the summit of Volskygge, Volsung may not appear all that unique at first glance. Like all Dragon Priests, he uses high-level Destruction spells (favoring frost), conjures atronachs, and flies evasively over the battlefield. However, his Conjuration, Restoration, Alteration, and Destruction skills are all at their max level.
Additionally, he boasts a very high resistance to magic, and his Command Daedra spell is more powerful than any other Dragon Priest. These extra stats make him tough to beat, and set him slightly apart from his comrades.
5 Nahkriin
Guardian of a portal to Sovngarde, Nahkriin's role necessitates some extra punch. He is the only priest who utilizes Destruction spells of all three elements, marking himself as more magically proficient than his peers. His huge arsenal of expert-level spells makes him a challenge for players of any build, crippling the Dragonborn with fire, frost, and shock.
Nahkriin takes his job seriously, ensuring that traveling to Sovngarde is no easy feat. He inflicts lingering damage as well as draining stamina and magicka, and summons storm atronachs to aid him.
4 Dukaan
Dukaan's element is frost, and similarly to Zahkriisos, his signature mask increases the strength of his spells. Fixed at level 60, his attacks and defenses are objectively more powerful than his mainland brethren, all of whom are fixed at 50.
He too draws power from the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora, and summons Seekers to aid him in combat. Taken together with the stamina-draining and slowed movement effects of his powerful frost magic, Dukaan is one of the more difficult encounters on Solstheim.
3 Vahlok the Jailor
Vahlok was one of the only Dragon Priests to challenge Miraak's rebellion, and the force of their battle ripped Solstheim away from the mainland. Some legends claim he imprisoned his foe and stood guard over him until his own death; others say Hermaeus Mora carried Miraak away to Apocrypha.
While it's no walk in the park, Vahlok's fight is not as punishing as some of the others among his ranks. However, his role in Miraak's defeat and the legends surrounding him mark Vahlok as one of the most powerful Dragon Priests.
2 Ahzidal
The first human to master elven magic, Ahzidal is regarded as one of the most powerful mages in Tamriel's history. Hungry for knowledge and power, he sought out the forbidden magic of the Dragon Priests—and when that could not sate him, he sought Hermaeus Mora.
Ahzidal's magical prowess is evident in combat. His unique spell, Fire Stream, inflicts more damage than expert-level Destruction spells and is nigh impossible to dodge. He also reanimates corpses to aid him, further proving his mastery in multiple magical schools.
1 Miraak
A foe unlike any other, Miraak wields the power of dragons, Hermaeus Mora, and his own Dragonborn blood. Able to dominate minds of dragon and mortal alike, he rebelled against his dragon masters. By the time he faces the player, Miraak has resided in Apocrypha for millennia, learning arcane secrets and forbidden wisdom.
His Shouts yield massive buffs, his unique weapons drain stamina and inflict poison, he summons dragons to kill them and absorb their souls. The clash between Miraak and the Dragonborn is one for the ages, a worthy climax of the Dragonborn questline.