The antithesis of Tamriel's "Nine Divines," the Daedra are the gods who abstained from the creation of the world in the Elder Scrolls franchise. They still hold all of their power and love meddling in the affairs of the mortal world. Of course, this means that in each game, the player can accept tasks from many, if not all, of these deities.
However, not all quests are created equal. Some of these tasks are boring enough that the powerful reward is barely worth it, but the best of these questlines are bursting with personality and fun. A great Daedric quest gives the player a glimpse of the god's power, an earful of their character, and a cache of treasure afterwards to seal the deal.
10 Morrowind: Mephala's Quests Enhance Morrowind's Immersion
Mephala's quest takes place as a part of the Morag Tong guild of assassins. Her position as the patron deity of the guild is quite interesting, as it's the only time the player has such repeated and direct contact with a Daedra in any Elder Scrolls base game. The mission she sends the player on is similar to a normal Morag Tong quest, in that the Nerevarine is tasked with the slaying of an individual.
All the player needs to do is sneak into his abode and place some poisonous root into the man's cauldron, and the deed is done. Mephala's quest is great not because of how exciting it is, but how fantastically it integrates the Daedra into the world.
9 Oblivion: The Ebony Blade Is Worth Causing Strife And Suffering
Yet another quest given to the player by Mephala in Oblivion. This time, the Daedric Prince instructs the Hero of Kvatch to sow discord and strife to obtain the Ebony Blade.
The player is instructed to kill the leaders of the two factions in the nearby village of Bleaker's Way and plant evidence on each of them that indicates they slaughtered one another. This starts a blood feud between the two groups, bringing Boethiah joy and awarding the player with a Daedric blade.
8 Skyrim: Ill Met By Moonlight Gives Players A Rare Choice
As with many of the other Daedric questlines in Skyrim, Hircine's quest gives the player a choice: to aid Hircine's hunters in the killing of the werewolf, or to turn on the hunters and help the werewolf slaughter them. Either option will give the player a reward, although which artifact is bestowed upon the player differs based on the choice.
The Ring of Hircine allows the player to transform into a werewolf an unlimited number of times, while the Savior's Hide is an incredible piece of light armor that provides a number of solid buffs. It's even possible to get both if the player is willing to do some extra combat and kill both parties.
7 Morrowind: Boethiah's Quest Is Surprisingly Down To Earth
Sunken to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of an island lies the ruins of a Daedric place of worship. If the player ventures below the waters, they find the head of a statue of Boethiah, who tasks the player with setting up a new place of worship for them. All that's needed is a sculpture to rebuild the statue, 2000 gold to pay them, and the book Boethiah's Glory, and three in-game weeks later the quest is done.
What makes this quest so memorable are the circumstances upon which it's activated and the mundane nature of the tasks. It's an easily missed questline that rewards players for exploring the world, handing them a fantastic weapon upon the statue's completion: Goldbrand.
6 Skyrim: The Waking Nightmare Showcases Vaermina's Power
In Skyrim's Dawnstar, the locals can be heard complaining about terrible nightmares. The whole town is plagued with bad dreams, and it's found that the old temple to Vaermina, sealed off from the world, is the cause. After venturing into the temple with Erandur, the player can bring Vaermina's skull back into the world or destroy it for good.
What makes this quest so intriguing are the segments where the player ventures into memories of the past, before the entire temple was frozen in endless sleep during a battle between Vaermina's worshipers and Mara's priests. This horrifying and mystical journey captures the power of Vaermina exquisitely, but the choice between Erandur and a powerful Daedric artifact could have been made more difficult. Losing the staff just isn't worth it.
5 Skyrim: The Mind Of Madness Is An Instant Classic
An iconic Skyrim questline, "The Mind of Madness" is many fans' favorite quest in the most recent Elder Scrolls game. Traveling through the mind of the mad Emperor Pelagius III while backed by Sheogorath's wonderfully voice acted lines is an experience that no Elder Scrolls fan should pass up. The reward for curing the madman is the Wabbajack, a fantastic staff that spews out one of a plethora of fun effects. It can even turn enemies into a pile of cheese!
What holds "The Mind of Madness" back from the upper echelons of Elder Scrolls questlines is that it doesn't capture the Mad Prince's essence very well. The Mad God has no reason to cure Pelagius, as even when he makes no sense he still loves madness. The map the player traverses, as well as the tasks set for them, could have been more interesting.
4 Oblivion: Boethiah's Gauntlet Is Exciting And Rewarding
Unlike many of Oblivion's Daedric quests, Boethiah's task actually sends the Hero of Kvatch to Oblivion itself. There, the player is placed into a sequence of increasingly difficult arena fights, doing battle with Boethiah's finest warriors. The reward for becoming the Daedric Prince's newest champion is Goldbrand.
This sword is far and away one of the best weapons in the entire game, doing both great physical and fire damage. Any lover of The Elder Scrolls IV should complete this mission when they can.
3 Skyrim: The House Of Horrors Makes The Player Feel Truly Evil
Working for Molag Bal means serving arguably the most genuinely evil god in the Elder Scrolls franchise, and the questline "The House of Horrors" does a great job portraying his power and cruelty. Watching in terror as objects are thrown around the house, the door locks itself, and a disembodied voice commands the player to slay the Vigilant are all just the icing on the sadistic cake.
As the champion of Molag Bal, you also find yourself beating a priest of Boethiah with a rusty mace to death multiple times. The reward the player receives is the very same mace, but with its true power unleashed.
2 Morrowind: Sheogorath's Quest Is A Simple Madman's Mission
While "The Mind of Madness" is an excellent questline, the task Sheogorath sets for the Nerevarine in Morrowind captures the spirit of the Prince of Madness better. After reaching his shrine, the player is sent to obtain a fork, known as the Fork of Horripilation. Once the fork has been obtained, they're then instructed to go kill a netch with big bushy eyebrows named Grandpa Netch. This, of course, must be done with the fork.
After this incredibly important task has been completed, the player is rewarded with the Spear of Bitter Mercy. While the reward isn't as fun as the Wabbajack, the quest is a perfect exploration of the Mad God's random nature.
1 Skyrim: A Night To Remember Is A Ridiculously Fun Time
Far and away the most fun Daedric quest in the entirety of the Elder Scrolls franchise is "A Night to Remember." After a drinking contest with a man named Sam Guevenne who shows up at a random tavern, the player blacks out. Waking up with a hell of a hangover, the Dragonborn finds that they've done a bunch of wild things while in a drunken stupor. They've wrecked the temple of Mara, proposed to a Hagraven, stolen a sheep, and just generally caused chaos across Skyrim.
It's up to the player to fix their mess, and for their efforts, they meet up with Sam once again, who turns out to be Sanguine himself. This is one quest where the it's the journey, not the destination, that's the true treasure.
0 Comments