Summary
Daedra are denizens from the planes of Oblivion and come in varying degrees of strength; the strongest and most intelligent Daedra are the Daedric Princes, who rule entire planes of Oblivion and possess power equivalent to gods. The Daedric Princes interact with mortals far more than their counterparts, the Aedra or Eight Divines, resulting in Daedra worship around Tamriel. Questlines from the Daedric Princes are some of the most popular parts ofThe Elder Scrolls, and they’re sure to make an appearance inThe Elder Scrolls 6, though which Princes get the spotlight is up for speculation.
SinceThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, one of the expansion packs for each game has heavily featured a Daedric Prince.Morrowind’s main game invested in Azura, while itsBloodmoonexpansion featured Hircine,Oblivion’s main game featured Mehrunes Dagon as the key antagonist, while its expansionThe Shivering Islesfeatured Sheogorath, andSkyrim’sDragonbornexpansion featured Hermaeus Mora.
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The Daedric Princes That Still To Be Featured in The Elder Scrolls
The Daedric Prince forThe Elder Scrolls 6is unlikely to be one of these five as it would be a retread of past content. Instead, players can look to the Daedric Princes that have the most potential for an interesting story, no matter where it’s set. WhileHammerfell is not confirmed to beThe Elder Scrolls 6’s setting, it is arguably the leading speculation for the upcoming title, but that unfortunately doesn’t help in regard to speculation. Hammerfell, unlike some other locations, doesn’t have a lot of connections with the Daedra, at least in the lore precedingTES6.
The Daedric Princes who haven’t been featured inThe Elder Scrolls:
The Daedric Princes least likely tofeature heavily inThe Elder Scrolls 6are Peyrite and Namira. Peyrite, though depicted as a dragon, is generally considered to be the weakest and least remarkable of the Daedric Princes. Meanwhile, Namira’s realm of “all things considered repulsive” would be a hard sell to players, especially considering her quest inSkyriminvolved a cult of cannibals.
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The Daedric Princes With Storytelling Potential
An expansion focused on Sanguine, the Prince of Hedonism, would work particularly well thanks to the nature of his plane of Oblivion, the Myriad Realms of Revelry, which are said to encompass thousands of different planes and environments. He’s said to test the darker natures of people, though rather than the murder or exploitation of others that the other Princes seem to prefer, Sanguine encourages people to give in to their own natures and desires. This concept could be very interesting for roleplaying, and the potential for character and storytelling is unlimited. It could be reminiscent ofThe Shivering Isles,but rather than involuntary madness, the individual makes a conscious decision to give in to temptation.
Clavicus Vile is another Daedric Prince with storytelling potentialthat hasn’t received a lot of focus inThe Elder Scrolls. Because of his role as the Prince of Bargains, he’s known as a trickster. He’s often seen alongside Barbas, a shapeshifting Daedra who houses much of Clavicus Vile’s power, and who often takes the form of a dog. Part of Clavicus Vile’s plane of Oblivion, the Fields of Regret, ended up trapped above Tamriel as the floating island Umbriel.
While Umbriel was eventually banished back to the Fields of Regret, it’s unknown what Clavicus Vile’s plane looks like right now. Exploring bargains and deals with a Daedric Prince, all while exploring his home and being confronted with the consequences of choices, has a lot of storytelling potential. Barbas could even be there to assist the player character along the way.
Another likely option is Malacath, who is particularly important to the Orcs, and who used to be the Aedra Trinimac. Malacath is the Prince of the Ostracized and, while reviled by the Dunmer, is generally regarded as a Daedric Prince who cares for his followers. His role as a savior for outcasts has some interesting storytelling, as doesMalacath’s past as a former Aedra.
The more violent and darker Daedric Princes such as Molag Bal, Boethiah, Mephala, and Vaermina haven’t been explored as much as the other Daedric Princes. Their planes of Oblivion are likely too dark to be depicted withinThe Elder Scrolls 6, and so any story focused on them would need to be closer toMorrowind: Bloodmoon.Hammerfell doesn’t have a strong tradition of Daedra worship, so it’s unlikely these Princes will be explored in depth beyond their usual artifact quest.
Therefore, it seems that Malacath, Clavicus Vile, and Sanguine are the most likely. A step down from there would be Jyggalag, Nocturnal, and Meridia, while those who have been a big focus in past games (as well as the darker Princes) are the least likely.
