Scariest Monsters In The Elder Scrolls

Fantasy games demand monsters. No one wants to spend hours battling everyday boring humans when they can kick the butts—or whatever counts as a butt—of dragons, orcs, and trolls. Fans are there for escapism, and slaying mythical beasts is just part of the fun.

Related

10 Scariest Elder Scrolls Villains, Ranked

The Elder Scrolls franchise’s villains are some of the most frightening ones in gaming history. These are the scariest villains in its lore.

But when conjuring up these goblins, ghouls, and boogeymen, some fantasy creators tap into the darkest corners of their imagination. So dark that they can haunt players’ minds. The Elder Scrolls is a prime suspect for this. The lore is rich and the polygons are poor, which can make for a very frightful combination.

10

Hunger

Sharp Hunger Pangs

Systems

Released

May 1, 2002

ESRB

T For Teen due to Blood, Violence

With a mouth that evokes images of the Dune 2 popcorn bucket, Hungers are the loyal (and unnerving) servants of the Daedric Prince Boethiah. When you’re the god of treachery, sedition, cruelty, and torture, it’s a given that your minions aren’t going to be pretty.

Related

Skyrim: Best Daedric Princes, Ranked

Worshipped (or feared) as gods, the Daedric Princes are the strongest among the Daedra. Which of these powerful beings are the best?

For Morrowind players, these bizarre creatures land somewhere between goofy and downright creepy—often managing to be both. But one thing’s for sure: they’re infuriating. Hungers love to spam “Disintegrate Armor” and “Disintegrate Weapon” spells, which is a guaranteed recipe for rage.

9

Spiders

Apologies In Advance To Anyone With Arachnophobia

Skyrim

Released

November 11, 2011

ESRB

M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes

Spiders are scary — it’s one of the most common phobias around. So much so that many developers have started including Arachnophobia Mode, a feature allowing players to swap out these eight-legged freaks for less terrifying creatures.

Related

7 Most Terrifying Spiders In Movies

Movie fans afraid of spiders should steer clear of these films featuring some of the most horrifying spiders seen on the big screen.

Unfortunately, the Elder Scrolls series never got the memo. These giant, beady-eyed arachnids haunt players throughout multiple entries. Go into any woodland, cave, or ruin, and nine times out of ten players are going to be hit with a not-so-friendly neighborhood spider. Unless, of course, they use mods.

8

Chaurus Hunters

Dawn Chorus

The Chaurus Hunter is the nightmare-inducing final evolution of the Falmer’s pet insect, the Chaurus. Imagine if Beedrill were spliced Cronenberg-style with Scyther — horrifying, right? While Skyrim itself features a ton of oversized creepy crawlies, Bethesda outdid itself by including this skin-crawling abomination in the Dawnguard DLC.

What makes them even worse is their surprising difficulty, swooping at players with relentless attacks. So to avoid getting the heebie-jeebies, it’s recommended players just high-tail it out of there whenever they get a whiff of these vile creatures.

7

Land Dreugh

Not Something Players Want To Encounter On A Dark Night

Systems

Released

April 4, 2014

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Land Dreughs have taken on increasingly terrifying forms throughout the Elder Scrolls series. Part spider, part crab, part chiseled human torso, this is one of the last things players want to see scuttle toward them on a dark night. While Water Dreughs are creepy in their own right, this spot on the list has to go to their landlubber brethren.

However, some of their terrifying mystique rubs off when their lore points to a being known as the “Father of Dreugh,” or his far sillier name the “Ruddy Man.”

6

Elytra

Sends Shivers Down Your Spine

Systems

Released

March 20, 2006

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Oblivion‘s DLC The Shivering Isles is crawling with disturbing creatures. One of the more horrifying is the Elytra. This giant, headache-inducing insect comes in two types, with the psychedelic version being by far the creepiest.

By the time players make heads or tails of this unsettling arthropod, it will be too late! Its paralyzing venom will have made its way through their nervous system, killing them after several agonizing hours. The Elytra then uses the body to lay its eggs inside. Delightful, right?

5

The Gatekeeper

Keep That Thing Away From Me!

Now this cursed fusion of rotting meat is one sight for sore eyes. Another of the Shivering Isle’s many gifts, the Gatekeeper is the bouncer to the Realm of Sheogorath. When the job is guarding the home of the Daedric Prince of Madness, you’ve got to bring your disturbing A-game to the looks department.

This faceless, hulking monstrosity is a Frankenstein’s patchwork of dead foes, complete with a giant weapon for a hand. He’s the stuff of horror games, and wouldn’t look out of place in Silent Hill.

4

Lurker

Eldritch Monsters From The Deep

Straight from the pages of an H.P. Lovecraft novella, Lurkers are eldritch monstrosities dwelling in the realm of Oblivion known as Apocrypha. These Daedric creatures are inspired by the Deep Ones and the similarities don’t stop there. Their eerie domain is lorded over by Hermaeus Mora, essentially the Elder Scrolls‘ own Cthulhu.

Related

The Elder Scrolls: Every Supernatural Transformation In The Series, Ranked

The Elder Scrolls franchise features a variety of supernatural transformations for players to witness. Here’s how they stack up.

Speaking of tentacles, Lurkers sport these unsettling appendages in their mouths and, even more disturbingly, from the soles of their feet. That’s a big yikes!

3

Ascended Sleepers

Jeepers Creepers

Judging from their name alone, Ascended Sleepers don’t sound all that threatening. Sounds like someone who just got up from a nap. But no, these “distorted, half-human, half-beast creatures” are pure nightmare fuel.

Tentacles are a bit of a recurring theme, and for good reason. Monsters with tentacles instead of mouths always crank up the creep factor. Add to that the unsettling knowledge that these abominations used to be human, and fans get a generous splash of body horror for good measure.

2

Bonewalker

Scarier Than Standard Zombies

Picking the creepiest undead enemy in The Elder Scrolls was easy—just look at these guys. This isn’t one’s typical pale-skinned ghoul; Bonewalkers have bones and metal straight-up jutting through their flesh, making them way more unsettling than a standard zombie.

Related

5 Best Open-Worlds In The Elder Scrolls Games, Ranked

The Elder Scrolls franchise has included a number of games that are notable for their amazing open-world game maps.

Even their final evolution, the Greater Bonewalker, seems cute in comparison. Sure, the Greater version is more aggressive and deadly, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the original Bonewalker’s skin-crawling design.

1

Ash Ghoul

Morrowind’s Scariest Creature

Morrowind is easily one of the more unsettling regions of Tamriel—definitely not the ideal summer getaway. And among its most terrifying inhabitants is the gruesome Ash Ghoul. One look at this abomination is enough to send even the bravest Nords running for the hills.

While Ash Zombies are unsettling with their hollowed-out faces, Ash Ghouls take it to the next level with a grotesque, wormlike proboscis where their eyes should be. Major kudos (or maybe concerned side-eyes) to the twisted mind that created this “Elephant Man” horror—truly one of the Elder Scrolls‘ creepiest enemies.

More

10 Scariest Elder Scrolls Villains, Ranked

The Elder Scrolls franchise’s villains are some of the most frightening ones in gaming history. These are the scariest villains in its lore.