Skyrim Fans Pick the ‘Coolest’ Enemy Designs

Highlights

• The Elder Scrolls franchise is known for its memorable art direction and iconic enemies, with Skyrim drawing inspiration from previous installments. Fans recently discussed the designs they think are the coolest.
• The Dwemer, draugr, bandits, and Falmer make up the majority of Skyrim’s enemies, but unique foes like the Spriggan leave a lasting impression. The Wispmother also stands out to many players.
• Players have expanded Skyrim’s enemy variety through mods, and the next Elder Scrolls game in Hammerfell may introduce new enemies while including franchise regulars like the Dwemer.

The Elder Scrolls is a franchise well-known for its memorable art direction, as Skyrim fans debate their favorite enemy design from the game. From the Flame Atronach to the lowly Mudcrab, Bethesda has established an extensive catalog of iconic enemies that players can come across, be it in a Daedric ruin or in the vast wilderness of Tamriel. Though dragons in Skyrim have played a pivotal role as its main antagonists and source of powerful crafting materials, the Nord province is littered with plenty of callbacks to previous The Elder Scrolls installments when it comes to monster design.

Pivoting away from the Ayleid ruins of Cyrodiil in Oblivion, Skyrim instead returns to the ancient remains of the Dwemer civilization, drawing inspiration from Morrowind instead. The automaton guardians of the Dwemer are joined by the draugr, bandits, and the Falmer to make up the majority of Skyrim‘s enemies, though it’s often the more unique foe that ends up leaving an impression on players instead. For example, every Skyrim fan remembers their first climb to High Hrothgar, if at least for the snow troll that attempts to ambush them in the blizzard.

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However, a player named itsmezanelol opened up a thread on the main Skyrim subreddit where they asked other fans what the coolest enemy design in the game was, submitting the vicious Spriggan as their candidate of choice. Spriggans in Skyrim shouldn’t be trifled with, as their poison can be very potent on an unprepared player, and the Burning Spriggans of Solsheim can even take characters down with them by exploding upon death. From a design perspective, the creepy buzzing noise and its mystical tree-like appearance have contributed to the Spriggan’s reputation in The Elder Scrolls community.

Other notable examples from the thread include the Seekers from Skyrim‘s Dragonborn DLC, as well as the Wispmothers. Due to the ties that Miraak has with Hermaeus Mora, the Seekers and many other enemies from Solstheim and Apocrypha drew inspiration from Lovecraftian visuals. Conversely, Wispmothers are one of the creepiest enemies that players can come across when roaming the frozen wastes of Skyrim at night, and the local Nords believe that they are the vengeful ghosts of ancient Falmer.

Though Skyrim launched with decent enemy variety, players expanded on the game’s bestiary over the years through ambitious modding projects, patiently waiting for the sequel to launch. If the next Elder Scrolls title truly does take place in Hammerfell, Bethesda will have an opportunity to create all sorts of new enemies for players to fight against, as the Redguard province has only partly been depicted in The Elder Scrolls Online. While it’s too early to tell what sort of unique designs will fit Bethesda’s vision for the game, players can at least expect franchise regulars such as the Dwemer to make another appearance.