Cosplay is difficult, period. Some outfits take way more time to make than others, though. In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, there is a ton of armor, and it's not like you can go to a local clothes store and find some scale mail or knight helmets.
To cosplay Skyrim characters often takes crafting knowledge and no short supply of patience. Not only is the armor aspect difficult, but there are also some races like the Argonians, the Khajiit, and the Orcs that take either a lot of make-up or mask making. All of this does not even include the assortments of weapons the game has. So here is a small collection of Skyrim cosplays that we think deserve some attention.
10 Nightingale Armor
Unfortunately, we could not find the name of this amazing cosplayer from Fan Expo 2012, but whoever she is, she rocks. The Nightingale armor is a favorite among the Elder Scrolls fandom. From this photo, you can tell that this armor has a lot of detail, from the sword to the bow to the breastplate and facial piece.
The look is cool enough on its own, but the story behind it is also worth noting. The Nightingales are an inner circle of the infamous Thieves Guild. They are the best of the best, and they protect the shrines of the Nocturnal throughout Skyrim.
9 Alduin
Why dress as a person when you can be a dragon? That's what Astrosine Cosplay did. This is not the only video game dragon she has cosplayed, either. She has also sported Rayquaza from Pokémon. Besides dragons, she has additionally done characters from World of Warcraft, Overwatch, The Legend of Zelda, and more.
Alduin is a big character in Skyrim, playing either a tough boss to beat or your character's mentor. He's also cooler than all the other dragons because he just chills out on top of the tallest mountain in the game.
8 Daedric Armor
Kamui Cosplay is a major player in the cosplay world, since she not only has written books on the subject, but also has a store and tutorial guides online for how to craft your own cosplays. This Daedric armor was created to be more femme so the cosplayer did not have to lug around as much armor.
"I always wanted to do a Skyrim costume but was very afraid it would end up too big for me to travel with," wrote Kamui. "That completely changed when I found the mod for a sexy version of the Daedric armor on the internet someday. I do not know who made the design, nor did I got every [sic] thank him/her for it, but this redesign enabled me to make the costume I always wanted and helped me to properly pay homage to one of the best games of the past console generation."
7 Dwemer Armor
The cosplayer here is Nerv-0, and he loves big armor. He created everything from the helmet to the boots to his weapon. Apparently, the helmet was made out of a white carnival mask with yoga mat pieces and crepla foam.
While the war ax may look heavy, it's actually very light! Nerv-0 crafted the handle out of maple wood and the blade from yoga mat pieces, cardboard, and crepla foam. He also used his cosplaying magic to turn average Crocs into the Dwemer boots! The budget for his cosplay was 110 to 170 dollars.
6 M'aiq the Liar
Done by Talaaya Cosplay, M'aiq the Liar is a fan-favorite character for being in numerous Elder Scrolls games and for speaking on random topics in the third person. According to the cosplayer, this outfit took about six months to make. They wrote a bit about how they made the various parts as well.
"The mask was 3D printed and white fur was hot glued on top then carefully trimmed and painted with watered down acrylics," wrote Talaaya. "The eyes are 'follow-me eyes' (hemispheres of clear plastic which have a magnification effect that makes it look like they're always looking at the viewer) to which I glued pieces of paper which have the eye patterns painted on them. The 'mustache' is small bundles of brown thread tied together and hot glued into the fur. I made the patterns for the outfit myself, and hand sewed it all. That part took the longest!"
5 The Lusty Argonian Maid
This cosplay is not based off a character in the actual plot, but a character within a book that you can read in Skyrim called The Lusty Argonian Maid. Unfortunately, the cosplayer is unknown, despite this image being shared so much across meme sites.
It's not exactly a very difficult cosplay, but it's very creative and brings a lot of different pieces together. It's basically a maid and dinosaur costume fusion. We do wonder, though, if the cosplayer made any modifications to get the mask to be Argonian-like. Perhaps we will never know, but we can at least appreciate the final product.
4 Dovahkiin
What kind of list would this be without the main character? The cosplayer is Simrell, and she actually sells the cosplays that she makes. Unfortunately, this piece has already been bought for 200 dollars, so if you want it, it's too late. However, she might make more Skyrim outfits in the future. It's not every day you see armor that actually looks form-fitting.
"This costume is crafted out of foam, fake feather, fake fur, and worbla," wrote Simrell.
3 Dragon Priest
Made and worn by cosplayer Daniel, dragon priests of Skyrim have masks that make some of the most valuable gear in the game. And Daniel definitely made the mask unmistakable. In fact, he has made multiple, from Otar the Mad's mask to Hevnoraak and Dukaan. Besides crafting amazing Elder Scrolls gear, Daniel has also made a lot of gear from the sister Bethesda franchise, Fallout.
His staff even glows! He looks like he is straight out of a live-action version of Skyrim.
2 Draugr
Done by Bill Doran of Punished Props, this cosplay is not one you'd want to see if you were alone in a dark alley. Punished Props is a business run by Bill and his wife. They've been in the cosplay game since 2009 and they love to teach others how to craft props.
"In an effort to help the cosplay community learn more about the techniques we use, I started making instructional YouTube videos," wrote Bill. "Since then, along with Brittany’s help, we have produced over 600 videos, and we don’t intend to stop. I am in love with teaching new cosplayers and prop makers everything they need to know to get started building incredible works of wearable art!"
1 Mjoll The Lioness
Mjoll the Lioness is a character that lives in Riften, typically talking about how corrupt the Black-Briar family is and not being happy about the existence of the Thieves Guild. You can also find her lost magic sword, Grimsever, in the game. This cosplay of Mjoll was completed in about two months by Kirie Cosplay.
“My Grimsever is all made from EVA foam,” said Kirie. “I drew out all the detailing and used a Dremel tool to create the curves and ridges, and placing layers of foam where larger details were needed. The blade has been coated in a gloss and even with a glow in the dark coat!”
That sword does look pretty neat, but Kirie finds its glow-in-the-dark aspect a bit frightening when she's trying to sleep. “I keep it in a wardrobe so it doesn’t spook me too much at night,” she said.