Summary
Fantasy games demand monsters. No one wants to spend hours battling everyday boring humans when they can kick the butts—or whatever counts as a butt—of dragons, orcs, and trolls. Fans are there for escapism, and slayingmythical beastsis just part of the fun.
But when conjuring up these goblins, ghouls, and boogeymen, some fantasy creators tap into the darkest corners of their imagination. So dark that they can haunt players' minds.The Elder Scrollsis a prime suspect for this. The lore is rich and the polygons are poor, which can make for a very frightful combination.
With a mouth that evokes images of theDune 2popcorn bucket, Hungers are the loyal (and unnerving) servants of theDaedric PrinceBoethiah. When you’re the god of treachery, sedition, cruelty, and torture, it’s a given that your minions aren’t going to be pretty.
ForMorrowindplayers, these bizarre creatures land somewhere between goofy and downright creepy—often managing to be both. But one thing’s for sure: they’re infuriating. Hungers love to spam “Disintegrate Armor” and “Disintegrate Weapon” spells, which is a guaranteed recipe for rage.
Spiders are scary — it’s one of the most common phobias around. So much so that many developers have started includingArachnophobia Mode, a feature allowing players to swap out these eight-legged freaks for less terrifying creatures.
Unfortunately, theElder Scrollsseries never got the memo. These giant, beady-eyed arachnids haunt players throughout multiple entries. Go into any woodland, cave, or ruin, and nine times out of ten players are going to be hit with a not-so-friendly neighborhood spider. Unless, of course, they use mods.
8Chaurus Hunters
Dawn Chorus
The Chaurus Hunter is the nightmare-inducing final evolution of the Falmer’s pet insect, the Chaurus. Imagine if Beedrill were spliced Cronenberg-style with Scyther — horrifying, right? WhileSkyrimitself features a ton of oversized creepy crawlies, Bethesda outdid itself by including this skin-crawling abomination in theDawnguardDLC.
What makes them even worse is their surprising difficulty, swooping at players with relentless attacks. So to avoid getting the heebie-jeebies, it’s recommended players just high-tail it out of there whenever they get a whiff of these vile creatures.
Land Dreughs have taken on increasingly terrifying forms throughout theElder Scrollsseries. Part spider, part crab, part chiseled human torso, this is one of the last things players want to see scuttle toward them on a dark night. While Water Dreughs are creepy in their own right, this spot on the list has to go to theirlandlubber brethren.
However, some of their terrifying mystique rubs off when their lore points to a being known as the “Father of Dreugh,” or his far sillier name the “Ruddy Man.”
Oblivion’s DLCThe Shivering Islesis crawling with disturbing creatures. One of the more horrifying is the Elytra. This giant, headache-inducing insect comes in two types, with the psychedelic version being by far the creepiest.
By the time players make heads or tails of this unsettling arthropod, it will be too late! Its paralyzing venom will have made its way through their nervous system, killing them after several agonizing hours. The Elytra then uses the body to lay its eggs inside. Delightful, right?
5The Gatekeeper
Keep That Thing Away From Me!
Now this cursed fusion of rotting meat is one sight for sore eyes. Another of theShivering Isle’s many gifts, the Gatekeeper is the bouncer to the Realm of Sheogorath. When the job is guarding the home of the Daedric Prince of Madness, you’ve got to bring your disturbing A-game to the looks department.
This faceless, hulking monstrosity is a Frankenstein’s patchwork of dead foes, complete with a giant weapon for a hand. He’s the stuff of horror games, and wouldn’t look out of place inSilent Hill.
4Lurker
Eldritch Monsters From The Deep
Straight from the pages of anH.P. Lovecraftnovella, Lurkers are eldritch monstrosities dwelling in the realm of Oblivion known as Apocrypha. These Daedric creatures are inspired by the Deep Ones and the similarities don’t stop there. Their eerie domain is lorded over by Hermaeus Mora, essentially theElder Scrolls' own Cthulhu.
Speaking of tentacles, Lurkers sport these unsettling appendages in their mouths and, even more disturbingly, from the soles of their feet. That’s a big yikes!
3Ascended Sleepers
Jeepers Creepers
Judging from their name alone, Ascended Sleepers don’t sound all that threatening. Sounds like someone who just got up from a nap. But no, these “distorted, half-human, half-beast creatures” are pure nightmare fuel.
Tentacles are a bit of a recurring theme, and for good reason. Monsters with tentacles instead of mouths always crank up the creep factor. Add to that the unsettling knowledge that these abominations used to be human, and fans get agenerous splash of body horrorfor good measure.
2Bonewalker
Scarier Than Standard Zombies
Picking the creepiest undead enemy inThe Elder Scrollswas easy—just look at these guys. This isn’t one’s typical pale-skinned ghoul; Bonewalkers have bones and metal straight-up jutting through their flesh, making them way more unsettling than astandard zombie.
Even their final evolution, the Greater Bonewalker, seems cute in comparison. Sure, the Greater version is more aggressive and deadly, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the original Bonewalker’s skin-crawling design.
1Ash Ghoul
Morrowind’s Scariest Creature
Morrowindis easily one of themore unsettling regionsof Tamriel—definitely not the ideal summer getaway. And among its most terrifying inhabitants is the gruesome Ash Ghoul. One look at this abomination is enough to send even the bravest Nords running for the hills.
While Ash Zombies are unsettling with their hollowed-out faces, Ash Ghouls take it to the next level with a grotesque, wormlike proboscis where their eyes should be. Major kudos (or maybe concerned side-eyes) to the twisted mind that created this “Elephant Man” horror—truly one of theElder Scrolls' creepiest enemies.
