By Adam Watkins
The Elder Scrolls franchise has different protagonists for each, but not all of them are equal, there are some that are more powerful than the others
Each of the protagonists found in the 5 mainline games of The Elder Scrolls series are incredibly powerful individuals. Each one can be brought to the absolute pinnacle of power through the player's actions. Whether that be making them the land's most powerful mage or training them to become the greatest swordsman in the land.
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The in-game strength of these characters are only limited by the amount of time the player is willing to put into their journey. It is for this reason that many fans within The Elder Scrolls community look to the feats, lore, and cannon abilities of these characters in order to properly gauge their power levels.
The Eternal Champion is quite the formidable opponent. Arena's story takes place in the 389th year of the Third Era and is the first Elder Scrolls game in the series. This is important to keep in mind as some of the lore found in both this game and its sequel The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall need to be taken with a grain of salt.
The only thing holding The Eternal Champion back is that he/she doesn't have the same level of feats and lore that the other protagonists do. The Eternal champion's only real feat is defeating one of the most powerful mages in Tamriel at the time, Jagar Tharn.
Tharn is definitely an exceptional mage, imbuing his life force into a magical artifact known as the Staff of Chaos, imprisoning The Emperor and his top general in a pocket dimension, and masquerading as The Emperor in his absence. These feats are pretty impressive, but they don't really compare crazy stuff some of the other protagonists have done in the series.
4 The Savior Of The Iliac Bay From The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
The protagonist of Dagger Fall doesn't really have an official title like many of the other Elder Scrolls protagonists. This doesn't stop Daggerfall's protagonist from being one of the most powerful individuals Tamriel has ever seen. The Savior really benefits from the expanded mechanics created for Daggerfall like improved combat and magic systems. This means The Savior has the potential to be a great wizard who knows teleportation magic or a formidable assassin who can climb up walls like Spider-Man.
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Much like The Eternal Champion, The Savior doesn't actually have a lot of feats that make him/her stand-out from the other protagonist. Daggerfall is unique amongst The Elder Scrolls games because it actually has multiple ending the player can choose from. Among these endings is one that sees The Savior being granted godhood, so the potential of this ending alone puts The Savior on another level to The Eternal Champion. Even with that potential ending in mind, The Savior still has a hard time competing with the remaining Elder Scrolls protagonists.
The Last Dragonborn's placement among the other protagonists within the community is one that is very heavily debated, but the most common consensus is that he/she is definitely stronger than The Eternal Champion and The Savior of the Iliac Bay. The Last Dragonborn has access to a lot of items and abilities that these two protagonists simply can't compete with. The Last Dragonborn also has feats that are just unlike anything the first two protagonists have ever done.
The Last Dragonborn has access to dragon shouts, summonable dragons, and dragon bone weapons and armor. The Last Dragonborn's shouts allow him/her to breathe fire, slow down time, summon elemental storms, and do other ridiculously overpowered things like rip a person's soul from their body.
The Last Dragonborn has also slain Alduen, the eater of worlds. Alduen was a dragon so powerful that if left unchecked, it would consume the entire world as we know it. Beating something like that is a bit more impressive than stopping an evil mage or controlling a Numidum. To be completely fair to the first two protagonists, The Last Dragonborn didn't accomplish this feat on his/her own, he/she had the warriors of Soverngarde there to back them up.
2 The Nerevarine From The Edler Scrolls 3: Morrowind
The protagonist of the Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is known as the Nerevarine, a reincarnation of Indoril Nerevar tasked with defeating Dagoth Ur and a few other Gods found in Morrowind. The Nerevarine is often considered by many fans in the community as the most powerful protagonist in the mainline series. This is because The Nerevarine slays multiple goods and has access to magic the protagonists from The Elder Scrolls 4 and 5 do not.
The Nerevarine has access to two of the most powerful forms of magic in the series, teleportation magic, and levitation magic. With these two abilities, The Nerevarine can avoid pretty much any attack the other protagonists might throw at him/her. The Nerevarine also keeps their versatility of combat options as well because they can still use magic, bows, throwing weapons, or melee weapons while levitating.
The Nerevarine can also craft their own spells. This includes the damage of the spell, the duration, and the size. As well as combine multiple known spell effects into a single casted spell. So in theory, The Nerevarine could cast levitation, invisibility, shield, and fortify attributes all at the same time. The fact that The Nerevarine has also slain multiple gods during the events of Morrowind makes him/her an excellent fighter as well. It's hard to find characters in The Elder Scrolls series that have a record as good as The Nerevarine.
The strongest protagonist in the mainline Elder Scrolls series is The Hero of Kvatch. But the reason for this is a bit strange. Based on the actions done by the player character during the main game's story, The Hero of Kvatch should be placed somewhere above the first two protagonists. Sure, The Hero of Kvatch can't climb, levitate, or teleport, but he/she has pretty impressive feats of their own.
The Hero of Kvatch can become The Champion of the Arena, Head of the Mages Guild, The Grey Fox, and many other things. The most notable of which being that he/she travels to the realm of Oblivion multiple times in order to close multiple oblivion gates. The Hero of Kvatch also assists Marten with stopping the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, earning them the title of Seventh Champion of Cyrodiil.
These feats place The Hero of Kvatch firmly above the first two protagonists, but they aren't what makes him/her the strongest protagonist in the series. During the events of Oblivion's Shivering Isles DLC, The Hero of Kvatch earns the favor of the God Sheogorath who says to the player character, "You'll be my champion. You'll grow powerful. You'll grow to be me. Prince of Madness, a new Sheogorath."
Based on this line as well as a few lines from The Last Dragonborn's discussion with Sheogorath in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it's pretty widely excepted amongst fans that sometime after the events of Oblivion, The Hero of Kvatch mantles Sheogorath and becomes him. As of now, none of the other protagonists come close to matching the power of the Dedric Prince of Madness.
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Greetings, Elder Scrolls enthusiasts! I'm here to delve into the intricate power dynamics of the protagonists in The Elder Scrolls franchise, drawing on my extensive knowledge of the series to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of their capabilities. As someone deeply immersed in the lore and gameplay of these games, let's break down the concepts discussed in Adam Watkins' article published on March 8, 2023.
Firstly, the article highlights the diversity in power levels among the protagonists of the five mainline Elder Scrolls games. The strength of each character is not predetermined but rather evolves based on the player's choices and actions. This player-driven narrative contributes to the unique power trajectory of each protagonist.
The article begins by introducing The Eternal Champion, the protagonist of Arena, acknowledging their formidability but noting a lack of standout feats compared to later protagonists. The Champion's main accomplishment is defeating the powerful mage Jagar Tharn, who, despite his impressive magical abilities, falls short in comparison to feats achieved by subsequent characters.
Moving on to The Savior of the Iliac Bay from Daggerfall, the article emphasizes the expanded mechanics in this game, offering players diverse paths, including one that leads to godhood. This potential ending elevates The Savior's status, although their overall power level is still seen as less impressive compared to later protagonists.
The article then discusses The Last Dragonborn, whose placement among protagonists sparks intense debates within the Elder Scrolls community. The Last Dragonborn's access to dragon shouts, summonable dragons, and powerful weapons sets them apart. Their notable feat includes defeating Alduen, a dragon capable of consuming the entire world. Despite having assistance from Sovngarde warriors, this achievement places The Last Dragonborn above their predecessors.
The Nerevarine, protagonist of Morrowind, is hailed as one of the most powerful characters in the mainline series. Armed with teleportation and levitation magic, the Nerevarine possesses unparalleled versatility in combat. The ability to craft custom spells further enhances their capabilities, and the successful slaying of multiple gods solidifies their reputation as an exceptional fighter.
Finally, the article concludes with a surprising assertion—the Hero of Kvatch from Oblivion is deemed the strongest protagonist in the series. Despite lacking certain magical abilities, the Hero of Kvatch earns this title through impressive feats such as closing multiple Oblivion gates and assisting in stopping the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. The pinnacle of their power is reached in the Shivering Isles DLC, where they are believed to mantle Sheogorath, becoming the Daedric Prince of Madness.
In summary, the article provides a nuanced analysis of the power levels of Elder Scrolls protagonists, considering their feats, lore, and in-game abilities. The evaluation takes into account the evolving nature of each character's strength based on player choices, creating a dynamic and engaging narrative within The Elder Scrolls universe.
