The Elder Scrolls is filled with magical items given legendary status either by being wielded by heroes or passed to mortals by the gods, and games like Skyrim are no exception. These items disappear and reappear across Tamriel periodically, but all of Tamriel's greatest heroes have come across at least some of the most well-known artifacts, particularly those blessed by the Aedra or crafted by the Daedra.

Daedric artifacts in particular are desirable for any Dragonborn in Skyrim, but there are other artifacts that are as iconic as they are helpful on the battlefield. These are the artifacts that have made an impression on players across The Elder Scrolls, have made their mark on Tamriel's history, or simply have enchantments that are too good to pass up. All the artifacts in Skyrim have a story behind them, and all fit into the world and lore in some way.

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S Tier

• Auriel's Bow: Said to have been carried into battle by the god Auri-El to fight The Elder Scrolls' Lorkhan, Auriel's bow has no equal in craft skills and is extremely useful when fighting undead and vampires.
• Wuuthrad: Obtained during the Companions questline, Wuuthrad is reforged by Eorlund Gray-Mane and was originally wielded by the Nord hero Ysgramor. It was designed to conquer the elves, and so does extra damage against them.
• Staff of Magnus: A powerful staff created by the et'Ada Magnus, or the God of Magic, this staff absorbs 20 points of Magicka per second before moving onto absorbing health.
• Auriel's Shield: This shield stores energy from attacks before releasing it in a wave reminiscent of the Unrelenting Force Shout.
• Azura's Star and The Black Star: Both versions of this Daedric artifact are incredibly useful and act like unbreakable soul gems, making it an essential tool for anyone who uses enchanted items. The Black Star uses Black Souls, and so is more useful, though a Dragonborn loyal to Azura might want to go with the pure version.
• Sanguine Rose: Summons a leveled Dremora to fight for the Dragonborn, and at higher levels even Conjures a Dremora Valkynaz, one of the highest level Dremora in the game.
• Ring of Hircine: This is an essential artifact for any werewolf Dragonborn as it allows unlimited werewolf transformations.
• Spellbreaker: Peryite is one of the most underrated Daedric Princes, but his artifact Spellbreaker is one of the best in Skyrim and was actually used in a battle against the archmage Shalidor. It blocks all breath attacks against dragons and is especially helpful against fighting mages.
• Wabbajack: One of the most iconic artifacts in The Elder Scrolls is Sheogorath's artifact, the Wabbajack. It's as unpredictable as the Prince of Madness and using the staff in dire situations makes them all the more exciting.

A Tier

• Dawnbreaker: The artifact of the Daedric Prince Meridia is one that makes the Dragonborn exceptional at killing the undead. As many of the Dragonborn's enemies are undead draugr, Dawnbreaker's fire and Turn Undead enchantments are incredibly useful.
• Chillrend: The frost version of Dawnbreaker, though not a Daedric artifact. The Chillrend sword returns from Oblivion, and is useful on Solstheim where many of the enemies are resistant to fire damage but weak to frost.
• Mace of Molag Bal: The Daedric Prince of Domination's artifact includes a soul-capture enchantment and pairs well with the Black Star.
• Mehrunes' Razor: This dagger has a 1.98% chance to kill instantly, which is more than enough considering the speed of daggers. Additionally, enemies with bigger health pools, such as bosses, would have higher chances of activating the enchantment, and it even works against Alduin.
• Oghma Infinium: The artifact of the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora, reading this book instantly allows the Dragonborn to upgrade several skills and level up. Just pick between the Thief, Warrior, or Mage, and watch the numbers climb.
• Skeleton Key: While this can only be obtained during the Thieves Guild storyline and needs to eventually be returned, Nocturnal's Skeleton Key is an iconic artifact and completely removes locks as a challenge.

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B Rank

• Ebony Blade: While this artifact of the Daedric Prince Mephala is a fantastic Two-Handed weapon, its requirement of sacrificing friendly NPCs gives it a barrier to accessibility.
• Bloodskal Blade: Found on Solthseim, this two-handed weapon sends an arc of energy that can damage enemies even through walls.
• Dwarven Black Bow of Fate: This bow allows the Dragonborn to absorb Health, Magicka, or Stamina, making it superior to the Chaos Damage enchantment available with Dragonborn.
• Ebony Mail: Boethiah's artifact is the only non-footwear armor in the game to have Muffle, and it poisons enemies that come too close.
• Masque of Clavicus Vile: This mask is nearly useless in battle but, typical of its creator the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile, is perfect for bartering as it increases Speech by 10 points and makes prices 20% better.
• Volendrung: One of the best warhammers in Skyrim, Volendrung is the artifact of the Daedric Prince Malacath and circumvents any fatigue caused by a two-handed weapon with its enchantment that absorbs 50 points of Stamina from enemies.

C Rank

• Keening: Fans of The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind will recognize Keening, but the one in Skyrim is likely a fake. Keening was created by Lord Kagrenac during the First Era, along with two other similar tools called Wraithguard and Sunder. These tools were famously wielded by the Nerevarine in the Third Era.
• Blade of Woe: The Blade of Woe is iconic to the Dark Brotherhood, but doesn't have the same enchantments that made it such a deadly weapon in previous games.
• Savior's Hide: Combining the Savior's Hide with other disease and poison resistance perks goes a long way with Hircine's second artifact, accumulating 85% resistance.
• Skull of Corruption: Vaermina's artifact can't be upgraded with any perks, but with all easy access to people sleeping in Skyrim improving its power isn't as difficult as leveling up the Ebony Blade.
• Ring of Namira: The artifact of the Daedric Prince Namira only grants 50 points of Stamina, and feeding on corpses gives extra health.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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