7 Bethesda Games With The Best Villain Rosters, Ranked

Bethesda has been a titan of the game industry for decades, well renowned for creating the Elder Scrolls franchise, several Fallout games, and Starfield. These RPGs are especially known for their large, immersive worlds filled with interesting characters and stories to tell. Bethesda’s impressive body of work has introduced countless iconic villains for the hero to oppose (or team up with) as they progress through their stories.

Antagonists become memorable when they have compelling motivations, distinctive personalities, and impressive skills or powers that make them worthy adversaries. Bethesda’s games often have a roster of villains with nuanced ideologies that stay in players’ minds long after the story ends.

6 Starfield

Pirates, Mercenaries, And More

The vast galaxy will pit the Spacefarer against many different factions with varying goals and motivations. For some, it’s to make money, no matter the human cost. This can be seen in ruthless pirates Delgado and Naeva Mora, or unfeeling businessmen like Ron Hope. For others, it’s about faith, as seen in the religious zealots of House Va’ruun, or a lack thereof, as seen in the mysterious Hunter.

Starfield is densely populated with villains to oppose, whether through dialogue, combat on the ground, or dogfights in orbit. Antagonists are memorable, and the line is often blurred between friend and foe within factions, allowing players to decide what kind of space captain to be.

Vengeful Daedra And Their Worshipers

Set in the imperial province of Cyrodiil, Oblivion tells the tale of the Hero of Kvatch as they fight off a powerful being, Mehrunes Dagon, who aims to open portals to the fiery plane of Oblivion and unleash chaos on the mortal plane of Nirn. Along the way, the player will come across various factions, including proud warriors, morally gray thieves, cultist daedra worshipers, and more.

On the journey through the imperial lands, the hero will encounter many interesting villainous characters and groups, such as the Dark Brotherhood, the guild of assassins who offer their services across Tamriel. Lucien Lachance offers the player a place in this group, but treachery within the ranks is slowly revealed. Another villainous group is Mehrunes Dagon’s cult, Mythic Dawn, which the player must infiltrate. It is led by a charismatic self-proclaimed prophet named Mankar Camoran.

4 Fallout 3

AI Authoritarians, Warlords, And Slavers

As the Lone Wanderer emerges from a life in the vault, they are introduced to the Capital Wasteland, a large map populated with characters trying to survive the harsh landscape. The human condition is explored through different ideologies, as is the player’s morality through the game’s karma system. The various evil factions represent themes of moral decay and tyranny.

Money and power are key motivators for characters like Allistair Tenpenny, who aims to tempt the player with riches to commit evil acts. This is seen in other characters like Eulogy Jones who controls the slave trade in the wasteland. The Enclave, led by an AI named President Eden, and a ruthless militant, Augustus Autumn, are the remnants of the US government before the nuclear war. They believe in totalitarian rule and the extermination of all mutant life.

Dagoth Ur, Mad For Power

The driving force of Morriwind’s plot is Dagoth Ur, a once Lord who was corrupted by the Heart of Lorkhan and slept for centuries, awakening with a plan to conquer the land of Morrowind. He’s not alone in this endeavor, as he enlists a cult of followers named the Sixth House Cult. Dagoth Ur’s iconic design is symbolic for fans of The Elder Scrolls.

Dagoth Ur is one of many villains. The player will also encounter the Camonna Tong, vicious rivals to the Morag Tong guild whose twisted code of honorable murder and theft permits their many treacherous actions and their role in Morrowind’s criminal underbelly.

2 Fallout 4

Scientists, Mercenaries, And Raiders

Fallout 4 follows the story of the Sole Survivor, the only survivor of a vault where the residents were all frozen in cryogenic stasis for over 200 years. This survivor must traverse the Commonwealth Wasteland to avenge their murdered spouse and find their infant son, Shaun. Along the way, they will encounter many villains who, much like in the Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3, will ignore morality to achieve their goals. Aside from the many notorious raiders, there are several iconic villains in the player’s path.

Among these villains are the mercenary named Kellogg, the Disciples leader Nisha, the head of the Institute, Father, and many more. There are also many morally gray characters such as Elder Maxson of the Brotherhood of Steal, whose intolerance of not only synths, but all mutants, made the Brotherhood divisive among fans.

Alduin, Miraak, And More

Skyrim needs no introduction. It has been over a decade since Bethesda’s most popular title was released, and the iconic characters are still fresh in the minds of players, including the game’s iconic villains. The main antagonist is Alduin, The World Eater, who has arrived in Skyrim and resurrected an army of Dragons to conquer all of Nirn.

Alongside this villain is a host of villainous characters, such as the ancient Dragonborn Miraak, Vampire Lord Harkon, Mercer Frey of the Thieves Guild, and more, all with varying goals and motivations, as well as interesting powers that the Dragonborn must overcome. There are also several evil factions, such as the Thalmor, a group that works in the shadows to influence the civil war and the political movements of Skyrim to establish control.