Fans of fantasy worlds can’t deny thatThe Elder Scrollshas got to contain some of the most extensive lore in any franchise to boot. After all, individual games alone likeThe Elder Scrolls Onlineand the mainlineThe Elder Scrollsseries already have thousands of pages’ worth of lore behind the setting and the overall narrative, alongside characters both legendary and existing that walk the realm of Tamriel.
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However, what perhaps makes the lore ofThe Elder Scrollsmore interesting is how beings of literature usually intersect with the ongoing narrative. Players of otherTESgames seem to encounter legendary figures and somehow get to face them in combat. More surprisingly, some of them fall by the hands of mortals quite easily. Just which overly-powerful characters in the lore end up becoming weak in the games?
8Mehrunes Dagon – Oblivion
Serving as the Daedric Prince of Destruction,Mehrunes Dagoncommands everything that involves change and energy, as well as all the revolution and destruction that comes along with it. In the lore,Dagon loves betrayal, bloodshed, and mass murders that they’re often attributed to him. InOblivion, the secretive Mythic Dawn cult has conspired not just to assassinate the remaining members of the Septim Dynasty but also his summoning to rule Tamriel.
Thing is, Mehrunes Dagon in the game isn’t as strong as players would think. When Dagon arrives during the finale of the Main Quest, Martin Septim destroys the Amulet of Kings and transforms himself into a dragon, an avatar of Akatosh. The two engage in a short battle, with Septim sacrificing his life but emerging victorious. Throughout this scene, players couldn’t interact with Dagon as he’s solely in the game in a cinematic format. The fact that Dagon is incapacitated quite easily after perhaps centuries’ worth of planning reveals a huge lack of oversight on his part.
7Alduin – Skyrim
Of all creatures in theElder Scrollsfranchise, it’s perhapsAlduinthat is the most iconic. This dragonserves as the World-Eater, destined to destroy the world and herald its recreation. When Alduin reappears inSkyrim, it was actually an Alduin forwarded in time, having been thrust from a millennia ago during an apocalyptic conflict. Unfortunately for Alduin, it was also in this new age that the Last Dragonborn was born solely to stop him.
While Alduin is indeed a formidable foe inSkyrim, it’s perhaps the fact that players can defeat a demigod-level being like him that puts him under scrutiny. After all, if a mere guard or giant can kill the Last Dragonborn, then by association that means enough giants can take on Alduin with ease. By the time players learn the Dragonrend and Clear Skies shouts, defeating Alduin becomes simply a matter of players dodging Alduin’s attacks and timing their own.
6Karstaag – Morrowind
For all intents and purposes, realizing thatKarstaagwas simply a Frost Giant would make players wonder about his capabilities. However,Karstaag was actually a ruler of his own domain, Castle Karstaag, with hundreds of minions until the Hounds of Hircine forced Karstaag to participate in the Hunter’s Game. Here is where Karstaag shows his true potential, as, unlike other unfortunate warriors, Karstaag actually navigated the maze and was about to face an aspect of Hircine itself. It was only when the Nerevarine killed him that Karstaag was put to rest.
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When the Last Dragonborn finds his skull, Karstaag resurfaces as a spirit to fight him. Unfortunately, even the Last Dragonborn manages to best him in a supposed incorporeal form. In a final act of submission, Karstaag gave the Last Dragonborn a means to summon him to aid them in their battles. While the ghost of Karstaag is indeed challenging to fight inSkyrim, itsMorrowindcounterpart can be easily subdued with the right control of the environment.
5Agronak Gro-Malog, The Gray Prince – Oblivion
Whilevampires do exist in Tamriel, Lord Lovidicus may have done the impossible: have a child. Birthed by his Orc mistress Luktuv gro-Malog, the childAgronak gro-Malokwas born with pale skin and grew to have rather inhuman abilities. In his prime, Agronak would become the champion of the Imperial City Arena, earning the moniker Gray Prince.
His reign would be undisputed until the arrival of the player character, who would help Agronak discover his true and noble heritage. Unfortunately, Agronak’s learning of his heritage made him lose his will to live and had the player kill them instead. Although being the Arena Champion meant Agronak should have awesome combat prowess, the fact remains that he didn’t try fighting back when contested for his title.
4Emperor Titus Mede II – Skyrim
At its core,Emperor Titus Mede IIserved as the current Emperor of the Third Empire during the events ofSkyrim. Soon after his coronation, Titus Mede II participated in the Great War for his refusal to cede parts of the Empire to the Third Aldmeri Dominion. While the Emperor managed to defeat the Dominion despite a disadvantage in numbers and territory, he did meet his untimely death at the hands of theassassin of the Dark Brotherhood.
This was quite a letdown, considering that Emperor Titus Mede II was known for his heroism, and even having a duplicate pose as him precisely to thwart assassinations. It doesn’t help that, to a select few who knew of the Great War’s true events, it was the Forgotten Hero who led the Empire to victory in the latter stages of the Great War after wearing the Emperor’s armor and taking his place after an assassination attempt.
3Dagoth Ur – Morrowind
Below the horrific Red Mountain lies the Ash Vampires, led byDagoth Ur, formally the Lord High Councilor of House Dagoth. An incredibly powerful vampire, Dagoth Ur was an extremely intimidating being - powerful enough to keep the Tribunal at bay. This was an extraordinary feat, considering the Tribunal are almost god-like in terms of power.
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Unfortunately for Dagoth Ur, he would bebested by the Nerevarinethrough the Tools of Kagrenac, mystical Dwemer items specifically constructed to siphon the power contained in the Heart of Lorkhan, which was Dagoth Ur’s power source. While the Nerevarine couldn’t defeat Dagoth Ur if it weren’t for this caveat, Dagoth Ur should have paid close attention to the existence of these artifacts given his vast power. And even then, a depowered Dagoth Ur remained predictable in combat despite hundreds of years’ worth of potential to train in combat.
2Vivec – Morrowind
The Guardian God-King of Vvardenfell,Vivec, was a member of the esteemed Tribunal worshiped in Morrowind. Through the Heart of Lorkhan, Vivec, alongside Sotha Sil and Almalexia achieved almost-divine status, albeit cursed by Azura to become Dunmer. Regardless, Vivec himself earned a reputation of being a fierce fighter and evenone of the few to achieve CHIM, a state of enlightenment that can allow them to manipulate the world as they please.
Given Vivec’s almost-divine powers, it’s such a surprise how someone like the Nerevarine has been able to defeat him. While Vivec boasts extremely powerful magical abilities, the Nerevarine was able to best him in various means. These include waiting him out to unleash his powerful spells before striking a counter-attack, to simply overpowering him in combat.
1Almalexia – Morrowind
Also a member of the Tribunal,Almalexia the Wardenaccompanies Vivec and Sotha Sil as the gods worshiped in Vvardenfell. And while Azura has cursed them,Almalexia maintained a position of carefor her people, providing insight and wisdom before her madness. It was said that Almalexia was able to cure and stop the spread of deadly diseases like Corpus, or even bestow incredible prowess and protections to her personal guard, the Hands of Almalexia.
Unfortunately, her almost-divine abilities seemed useless against the Nerevarine during her attempt to kill them. As with her fellow high-level NPCs, Almalexia relies heavily on spells and resistances to keep the Nerevarine away while remaining resistant to their own counters. However, a potent-enough shield and hardy-enough armor can punch through Almalexia’s defenses for a counter-attack. It was also odd of Almalexia not to heal whenever the Nerevarine escapes their battle, something they may use to their advantage.
