Skyrim has been an incredible inspiration since it was released back in 2011. Its fan base is one of the biggest and most dedicated ones out there, which has helped the game carry its success for so long compared to other popular titles. The world and its lore is so fascinating it has become a sub-culture of its own and has encouraged the community surrounding it to truly express itself. Cosplay is one of such many forms of art, and these ten costumes are guaranteed to have any Elder Scrolls fan awestruck.
10 Dragon Priest
In Skyrim, Dragon Priests are among the most frightening and powerful enemies, often found at the end of Nordic tombs. Once servants of the Dragons, the Dragonborn awakens them from their eternal slumber when stumbling upon their graves. Corroder666 on DeviantArt is a passionate and talented cosplayer with tons of experience in creating high quality props and armor. He’s also the person behind this amazing Dragon Priest costume, and we have to say the mask and the staff are absolutely spot on down to every detail.
9 Mjoll The Lioness
You might remember Mjoll The Lioness as one of the potential romantic partners you can find in Skyrim. She’ll send you out to fetch her sword from a Dwarven ruin, and will trust you even further if you show your goodwill by helping people around Riften. Kirie Cosplay clearly adored her character like we did, because she created this incredible costume. Not just that, she made sure to even have her signature glass sword included, which looks just like in the game.
8 Forsworn
In general the Forsworn aren’t the most popular group of people in Skyrim. They’re persecuted by locals and considered crazy by most citizens due to their simple ways of life. However, they are natives to their region and have their own colorful culture which often gets ignored. Cosplayer BangBangNeko showcases one of the female variants of a Forsworn armor here, and with all the bone, feather and fur details the costume just comes together perfectly.
7 Serana
Serana is a brand new companion available for the Dragonborn in the Dawnguard DLC and quickly became one of the most popular characters in the game. While she might come off as guarded and kind of a complainer at first, Serana has a tragic background she’ll eventually open up about. Cosplayer April Gloria decided to bring her character to life with a stunningly accurate costume and excellent makeup work. We also love the Photoshop effects that were added afterwards.
6 Aela The Huntress
Another incredibly popular and iconic character in Skyrim is Aela The Huntress. A sworn member of the Companions and a passionate werewolf, she stands up for herself and can be fierce in battle. She can be romanced and married as one of the major characters in the game. This really cool costume of her was created by Jannet Vinogradova, who captured the essence of Aela almost naturally with her detailed costume and superb makeup skills. The photo with the wolf just fits the theme, too, and looks surprisingly real.
5 Draugr
Draugr and their Overlords are some of the more common enemies found in Skyrim. Undead Nords, they inhabit most Nordic dungeons and will awaken when disturbed by the Dragonborn. They’re not exactly the first choice of a cosplayer, but this ambitious project by Punished Props Academy is easily among our favorites. The sheer detail here is just incredible, not to mention the face masks and glowing eyes that just add to an eerily realistic feel of these costumes. Amazing work!
4 Argonian
Another challenging one to put into a costume, Argonians are the lizard-like citizens of Tamriel, which can also be found all over Skyrim holding various positions as merchants. Raija Hansen decided to turn her own Skyrim main character, Ryu the Argonian, into a costume of its own, and truly nailed it. The Argonian head has an incredible amount of detail and really has that Elder Scrolls look that makes the game itself so unique. The details in the hands are just as amazing, and the outfit fits the character like a glove.
3 Cicero
Everyone’s favorite jester of all time, Cicero, is a devout worshiper of the Night Mother and a member of the Dark Brotherhood. He’s concerned with the state of the Brotherhood and the lack of respect for its founding Tenets, and will come off a bit intense and crazy right off the bat. His signature jester look was replicated to perfection by cosplayer Roman Konovalov. Not only is the outfit just like in the game, the makeup and the set truly fit the theme of the Dark Brotherhood.
2 M’aiq The Liar
One of the recurring characters in the series, M’aiq The Liar is a rather untrustworthy Khajiit that will spawn randomly here and there in Skyrim. He’ll always have something to say, something to share with you. However, his reputation isn’t exactly the best and he loves telling lies to those who speak with him. As an iconic character, it’s refreshing to see him made into a costume by Talaaya Cosplay. The part we love the absolute most is the headpiece, which looks just like the face of a real Khajiit. Truly impressive work!
1 Daedric Armor
If someone were to ask what the hardest costume in Skyrim is to replicate, then we would have a very clear answer ready for you: the Daedric Armor. It’s without a doubt the coolest looking one of all available armors, and also the best there is available. Expensive and difficult to make due to rare ingredients and a high skill needed for Smithing, it’s kind of fitting that it also happens to be the hardest costume to make in real life. Despite that, cosplayer zerios88 took on the challenge head on and absolutely blew us away with his full version of the Daedric Armor. No detail is missing here, and he even paired his outfit with fitting swords. With all the hard work that went into this, it easily tops our list as the most impressive Skyrim cosplay.
NEXT: Skyrim: 10 Obscure Spells & Shouts That Are Impossible For Players To Obtain
