The 10 WEIRDEST Unlockables in Elder Scrolls Games

The 10 Weirdest Unlockables in Elder Scrolls Games

Myles Obenza

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at the 10 weirdest unlockables in Elder Scrolls games.

For this list, we’ll be looking at unlockables and quest rewards that are both unique in their gameplay applications and weird or unusual from a narrative perspective, and only from the mainline single-player games. Sorry to you Elder Scrolls Online fans.

Philter of the Phantom

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

If you’ve come across Shroud Hearth Barrow near Ivarstead in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you’ve most likely encountered the “Lifting the Shroud” side quest. This quest sees you clearing out the titular crypt of the “ghost” of Wyndelius Gatharian, that’s actually a squatter who’s alive and well and has taken residence. When you complete the quest, not only do you get some loot and a new Word of Power, but also a unique potion called the Philter of the Phantom. This little concoction does absolutely nothing but give your Dragonborn a transparent blue spectral appearance. While useless, it is a fun way to add to immersion and roleplay certain builds.

Benirus Manor

“The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” (2006)

Upon first entering the city of Anvil in the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the Hero of Kvatch will most likely come across an unassuming house on the outskirts of town. You can buy it from Velwyn Benirus at the Count’s Arms pub for 5,000 Septims, which also starts you off on the “Where Spirits Have Lease” side quest. When you spend your first night in the spooky house, you’ll be attacked by ghosts, and have to fight your way down to the basement. The rest of the quest takes you on an adventure to break the seal and release the spirits, and the reward is a large, fully upgraded player home! While player homes aren’t uncommon in Elder Scrolls games, Benirus Manor is a fun haunted house-style side quest that is worth doing in every playthrough.

Horksbane

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

Available only through the Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim, Horksbane is an unassuming steel mace with a weird and unique enchantment: it does extra damage against the frozen north’s walrus-like animals, Horkers. There’s no side quest associated with this weapon, but getting to it can be a bit of a chore. You’ll have to make your way to the DLC-exclusive region Solstheim, and from there to Horker Island, off the northeastern coast. Look for the corpse of the Dark Elf Saden, and near it you’ll find Horksbane. This silly little mace does 20 extra points of damage against Horkers, making the nearby encounter against Lord Tusk a breeze. Is this weapon completely useless in the long run? Yes. Is it a fun and worthwhile trinket to collect on subsequent playthroughs? Also yes.

Staff of Hasedoki

“The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind” (2002) & “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

The Staff of Hasedoki is an awesome staff that has both offensive and defensive capabilities, available through Skyrim’s Anniversary Edition Creation Club content and via a side quest in the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Probably the most actually useful weapon on this list, the staff can send enemies flying with a magical Force-push-like effect, can create a magic damage resistance ward when not attacking, and even fills an empty soul gem upon defeating the enemy. Far and away the most useful unique effect, The Staff of Hasedoki makes a great and versatile tool for any magic focused playthrough.

Sanguine Rose

Various

Available in almost every mainline Elder Scrolls game, Daedric Prince Sanguine’s Rose staff is the physical encapsulation of the deity’s hedonistic tendencies. In Skyrim, you’ll go on a rollicking, drunken adventure around the countryside before finally being rewarded with the unique weapon. Sanguine Rose takes on the appearance of . . . well, a rose, and summons a Daedric being to fight for you for a limited time, good for distracting enemies while you wail away at them. While not the most useful item, it's definitely one of the most unique looking.

Boots of Springheel Jak

“The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” (2006)

The focus of the “Ultimate Heist” part of the Thieves Guild questline, the Boots of Springheel Jak are a unique set of stompers that grant the wearer plus 50 in Acrobatics. Additionally, if your health or Acrobatics stat is high enough, you can survive the long fall portion of this quest, instead of having them get destroyed in the fire. You can keep the boots for as long as you’d like, provided you don’t give them to the Gray Fox at the end of the quest. Its best use, however, is walking and leaping across bodies of water, making traversal a breeze.

Goblin Totem Staff

“The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” (2006) & “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

One of our personal favorite weird items, the Goblin Totem Staff shows up in both Oblivion and Skyrim’s Anniversary Edition upgrade. In Oblivion, these are typically held by Goblin Shaman’s scattered throughout Cyrodiil, and in Skyrim, through the Creation Club Quest “Blue in the Face” found in Riften This quest also rewards with a goblin followers name Gogh! In either game, the staff is presented as a regular ol’ stick with a severed goblin head adorning the end, and does Shock damage based on the player’s level, making it a powerful and immersive weapon for shaman or mage playthroughs.

Extra-Comfy Pillow

“The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind” (2002)

Another weird, fun, and useless item, the Extra-Comfy Pillow in Morrowind is available after progressing through a chunk of the Fighters Guild questline. During the quest where you must kill rats in Drarayne Thelas’s house, you’ll notice an abundant amount of pillows. Continue the quest until you arrive at the other side of the island to get the Extra-Comfy Pillow as a reward upon completion. This unique miscellaneous item does absolutely nothing but changes the in-game text when you sleep to “your sleep is very restful on your Extra-Comfy Pillow”. In subsequent games, feeling well rested means you’ve slept longer, and increases the amount of experience gained for your skills. Could this goofy little side Easter Egg have been the precursor to this mechanic? Let’s sleep on it.

The Fork of Horripilation

“The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” (2006) & “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

One of the artifacts associated with the Daedric Prince of Madness Sheogorath (more on him in a bit), the Fork of Horripilation, also known as Forky, appears in Morrowind, Oblivion’s Shivering Isles DLC, and Skyrim’s Creation Club. In each game, the Fork is relatively useless, and usually tied to a bigger quest reward. These quests all have something to do with Sheogorath, whether it’s unlocking the Staff of Sheogorath in Skyrim or the skill rewards in Shivering Isles. Regardless, it’s still a fun and unique one-handed weapon that is hilarious to use to kill your enemies.

The Wabbajack

Various

You all knew this was coming. Another one of Sheogorath’s Daedric Artifacts, the Wabbajack staff is far and away the weirdest and most popular unlockable in the Elder Scrolls games. Present in almost every entry, the Wabbajack embodies what the Daedric Prince of Madness is all about. When used in combat, the effect it produces is entirely random, ranging from transforming an enemy into a mudcrab, to instantly killing them, or even replacing them with, uh, let me check my notes . . . cheese. Hell yeah. Including this unique weapon in your playthroughs is sure to create some hilarious combat scenarios, and we highly recommend it for any unserious builds.

What's the weirdest unlockable you’ve come across in the Elder Scrolls games? Let us know in the comments below!