The game The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim follows in the steps of its predecessors and has some of the most popular Daedric artifacts of previous Elder Scrolls games. Some are weapons, others are defensive, and some are just downright weird. These items become available at various levels of gameplay, and collecting them all has become something of a mini-goal in Skyrim.
These items expand Skyrim and give information on the world's lore, history, and people. They're also totally unique, and freshen up the gameplay when collecting them at various intervals on the Dragonborn's journey. The Dragonborn truly appears as a hero from legend walking down the streets of Whiterun with the Wabbajack in hand.
Updated on February 11, 2023 by Ben Painter: Skyrim remains one of the best games that have ever been created. The Bethesda fantasia RPG is simply stunning and even in 2023 the game still stands up, no game has quite managed to live up to the charm that Skyrim has despite many attempts. With a game littered with collectibles, armors, weapons and spells the game seemingly has no end to it and that is what makes it so well-received.
One of the things to acquire in the game is Daedric Artifacts, ancient pieces that represent the Daedric Princes that ruled over the realm of Oblivion. These artifacts are available throughout several side quests in Skyrim, some may take some search to acquire, but certainly, they are worth it. This update adds the final Daedric artifact to the game and adds information to the previous entries.
16 Skeleton Key
- Location: Irkngthand, mountains west of Windhelm
- Related Quest: Blindsighted
Arguably one of best Daedeic Artifacts in Skyrim, this is a special one because players sadly don't get to keep it (unless they choose to never complete the quest). The Skeleton Key is the unique unbreakable lockpick crafted by Nocturnal and stolen by Mercer Frey. To get it, the player needs to join and complete the Thieves Guild questline.
There's a bit of a running joke in the Skyrim community about the Skeleton Key never getting returned due to how useful it is. It essentially removes the need to gather or buy any new lockpicks, so players will simply run around and unlock any doors or chests they need to with the key before finally (maybe) returning it to Nocturnal. If gamers don't return it they will have a really useful tool and achievement hunters should relish this opportunity as despite the Skeleton Key being listed as a Daedric Artifact it does not count towards the Oblivion Walker achievement.
15 Mehrunes' Razor
- Location: Dead Crone Rock, Dawnstar, Morthal, and Cracked Tusk Keep
- Related Quest: Pieces Of The Past
Made famous by Oblivion, Mehrunes Dagon also makes a brief appearance in Skyrim, where players discover that the pieces of his famous Mehrunes Razor have been scattered in three different locations all around the province. Silus Vesuius, the owner of a museum in Dawnstar, will be the one to ask the Dragonborn to track them down.
Mehrunes Razor is a powerful one-handed dagger, perfect for any assassin-type character builds. The dagger can actually kill in one hit if the player is lucky enough, otherwise, it does 11 points of damage. The best dagger in the game, gamers should have this as a side arm when things get tough in battle. Of all Deadric Artifacts this is one of the best due to that insta-kill featutre.
14 Mace Of Molag Bal
- Location: Markarth
- Related Quest: The House Of Horrors
A haunted house in Markarth will eventually lead players to speak with one of the fiercest Daedric Princes out there, Molag Bal. After doing his bidding, it's possible to get his incredibly powerful and useful one-handed mace.
This mace does a multitude of things. Not only does it do 16 points of base damage, but it also damages stamina and Magicka of the target by 25 points. On top of that, enemies who die within 3 seconds will fill an empty soul gem. Despite the cruel nature of the quest, this item is a must-have. Maces have their perks in Skyrim as they deal a lot of damage, the Mace of Molag Bal is the best mace in the game and a deadly Skyrim Daedric Artifact.
13 Volendrung
- Location: Largashbur, on the southwestern shore of Lake Honrich
- Related Quest: The Cursed Tribe
A tribe of orcs has fallen out of favor with Malacath and must make amends. When the Dragonborn approaches the orcish stronghold of Largashbur, they'll have the chance of helping the orcs fend off an attack from the giants who are in possession of Shagrol's Warhammer.
At the end of the quest, the warhammer is returned to the tribe and is transformed into Volendrung, a more powerful version of itself. This massive hammer will demolish the stamina pool of enemies by absorbing 50 points from them, making it fantastic for tanky Two-Handed experts. Although two-handed weapons are slow, boy do they pack a punch and Volendrung is the best of the best in this instance. Daedric Artifacts offer some of the best items in their categories.
12 Ring Of Namira
- Location: Reachcliff Cave, southeast of Markarth
- Related Quest: The Taste Of Death
One of the darkest quests will lead the player to acquire the Ring of Namira, and only if they make specific choices during the quest. As the Dragonborn enters Markarth's Hall of the Dead to investigate strange events, they'll be approached by Eola, a cannibal part of Namira's cult.
The player can either go along with her and join the cult or completely destroy every member. The advantage of this ring is that the Dragonborn will gain the ability to consume flesh from corpses, which will give them a health and regeneration boost. A very grim and frankly unnecessary addition, if gamers want a clean playthrough then this Daedric Artifact is one to avoid.
11 Wabbajack
- Location: The Pelagius Wing in Solitude's Blue Palace
- Related Quest: The Mind Of Madness
The Wabbajack is the Daedric Artifact attributed to Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. As expected of the artifact of the Prince of Madness, the Wabbajack is just as unpredictable and volatile as its master. Just point it at your enemies (or an unsuspecting NPC) and enjoy the fireworks. The Wabbajack has a really great quest to unlock it, becoming an Alice in Wonderland style of adventure, making this one a great Skyrim Daedric Artifact.
The Wabbajack casts either a random destruction spell or transforms the victim into something else. What they can be turned into is completely random, from useful to dangerous. Enemies can be turned into a pile of septims, or even into a sweetroll which you can eat to gain the ultimate victory over your enemies. Targets may also be turned into random high-level Daedra, so be careful when casting.
10 Spellbreaker
- Location: Shrine to Peryite, northeast from Markarth
- Related Quest: The Only Cure
Spellbreaker is a shield that creates a ward that can block magical attacks. It belongs to Peryite, the Daedric Prince of Pestilence. Peryite has a reputation for being one of the weaker, more boring Daedric Princes. He's not funny, he's not witty, he's not outright evil, and he hasn't tried to invade Tamriel (yet).
That said, Spellbreaker is particularly useful for sword and shield builds, and is incredibly useful against dragons as it can absorb their Shouts and magic breath attacks. It can also absorb the Shouts of draugr and Dragon Priests. Not only does Spellbreaker have its magical properties it also just a really good shield in the game and when upgraded it is probably THE best. This makes it one of the best Daedric Artifacts in Skyrim.
9 Savior's Hide
- Location: Falkreath and Bloated Man's Grotto
- Related Quest: Ill Met By Moonlight
Savior's Hide is the first of two Daedric artifacts of Hircine. While the game tries to make you choose between them, this is easily circumvented by helping Sinding, leaving the Hunting Grounds to talk to Hircine, then immediately returning and killing Sinding.
Savior's Hide is light armor and increases the Dragonborn's magical and poison resistance. While it's not the most useful of the Daedric Artifacts, it's good for roleplaying, especially if you team up with the Companions a lot, Aela the Huntress in particular. Gamers should instead choose the Ring of Hircine which offers a lot more...
8 Ring Of Hircine
- Location: Falkreath
- Related Quest: Ill Met By Moonlight
The Ring of Hircine is the second artifact of Hircine, the Daedric Prince of the Hunt. Hircine is the Daedric Prince responsible for creating lycanthropy. His ring allows the wearer to a limitless amount of werewolf transformations per day, as opposed to the once-per-day power without the ring.
Obviously, the wearer needs to already be a werewolf for the ring to have any effect. When the player is in a rut in a deep cave or enemy base this ring will be a life-saver. Turing the Dragonborn into a werewolf and doing some serious damage, a unique Daedric Artifact that also ties to the lore of the game, specifically the Companions quest line.
7 Oghma Infinium
- Location: Septimus Signus' outpost, north from the College of Winterhold
- Related Quest: Discerning The Transmundane
The Oghma Infinium is an ancient book that belongs to Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of Fate and Knowledge. While the Infinium itself was not created by Hermaeus Mora, (it was written by Xarxes), it's an item closely associated with him. Once read, the book returns to Hermaeus Mora's realm of Oblivion, Apocrypha.
The Oghma Infinium grants the Dragonborn an increase in skills from one of the three classes of Mage, Thief, and Warrior. This harkens back to the start of the game with the Guardian Stones following the escape from Helgen, reminding users the direction they want to take in the game. A one use Daedric Artifact, unlike all of the others, but certainly a very useful one.
6 Sanguine's Rose
- Location: Enter any tavern in Skyrim around level 14
- Related Quest: A Night To Remember
Sanguine's Rose is the artifact of Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Debauchery. Sanguine's Rose is a staff that summons a Daedra follower to your aid. Of all Daedric Artifacts this one has a very distinctive ability, making it one of the best in Skyrim. Also ties this game to the lore of the Elder Scrolls as it shows players first hand what a Daedra looks like.
Aside from the fact that his quest, A Night to Remember, is one of the most fun in the game, Sanguine's Rose is incredibly useful if the Dragonborn finds themselves in a tight spot. The summoned Daedra is a good fighter and a better distraction, allowing the Dragonborn to reposition before going back into the fray.
5 Ebony Blade
- Location: Dragonsreach, Whiterun
- Related Quest: The Whispering Door
The Ebony Blade is tailor-made for a sadistic playthrough, as it depends on the killing of friends and allies to grow in power. Made from ebony, the Blade is the artifact of The Whispering Lady, Mephala, the Daedric Prince of Secrets.
The Ebony Blade never runs out of charges, which is extremely useful. It's a two-handed sword. Each time a friendly character is killed with it, the blade increases in power, with a cap of 30 absorb health per hit. You can find the Ebony Blade in Dragonsreach after reaching level 20. With a really amazing and unique design, the Ebony Blade has a samurai sword look to it, no other sword has this, and it will certainly be worth acquiring this Daedric Artifact.
4 Dawnbreaker
- Location: Kilkreath Ruins, west of Solitude
- Related Quest: The Break Of Dawn
Dawnbreaker is another sword, this time for one-handed. It's the artifact of Meridia, Daedric Prince of Life. It works especially well against the undead, vampires included, which is fitting as Meridia hates the undead.
Dawnbreaker inflicts extra burning damage to the undead, with the chance to cause an explosion which damages nearby undead, and can even turn them. The quest to obtain Dawnbreaker is made available at level 10, which makes it the perfect weapon for a low-level player. It also takes a lot of use before needing to be recharged. This sword can become of the best weapons in the game, with upgrades, so it certainly is worth completing this Skyrim Daedric Articaft quest.
3 Ebony Mail
- Location: Knifepoint Ridge, southeast of Windhelm
- Related Quest: Boethiah's Calling
Boethiah is the Daedric Prince of Deceit, which goes hand-in-hand with this armor's key function, which enhances stealth. When crouching, the armor not only muffles the footsteps of its wearer but also poisons anyone within reach. This is problematic if the Dragonborn has a low sneak level, but at higher levels, the poisoning doesn't alert enemies to the Dragonborn's presence.
The quest to obtain the armor requires the death of someone who trusts you. A worthy but necessary sacrifice needed for one of the best Skyrim Daedric Artifacts. The quest is only available at level 30 and is one of the highest level Daedric Artifacts in the game.
2 The Black Star
- Location: Mountain overlooking Saarthal and Winterhold, southwest of the city
- Related Quest: The Black Star
The Black Star is unique in that it's the corrupted form of Azura's Star. Azura's Star is the artifact of Azura, the Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn. In its original state, Azura's Star functions as a non-breakable soul gem, but can only take the souls of non-sentient creatures such as animals. This Skyrim Daedric Artifact really does have insane usage as players will no longer need to collect Soul Gems, making restoring enchanted weaponry so easy.
The Black Star is a corruption of the original Star and transforms it into an unbreakable black soul gem that can absorb the more powerful souls of the sentient, including people. The Black Star wins over Azura's Star simply because of the rarity of black soul gems. While you can find normal soul gems wherever you go, black soul gems only appear in certain places, and very rarely.
1 Masque Of Clavicus Vile
- Location: Haemar's Shame, Falkreath Hold
- Related Quest: A Daedra's Best Friend
The Masque of Clavicus Vile is a very useful item in the game, the horned helmet grants the player with 20 barter points, 20 speech points and 5 magika points. Useful when out shopping in Skyrim as the player will be granted better prices, they will receive more money for selling items and also quickly level up their speech.
However, during the battle, there are much better-looking items, but it will be perfect for gamers who want to complete the game using only Daedric Artifacts as it is the only piece of headwear available. Gamers must be cautious when it comes to this one as at the end of the quest, the Dragonborn is left with a choice to either kill Barbas and keep the Rueful Axe or to spare Barbas and receive, the Masque of Clavicus Vile. If gamers keep the axe then they will not complete the Daedric Influence or Oblivion Walker achievements as it is not counted as a Daedric Artifact.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. From November 11, 2021, it will be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.