Dragon Priest (Skyrim)

Dragon Priests are high level lichs found guarding Word Walls, originally serving dragons and can be found in ancient Nordic tombs with Draugr.

Merethic Era
According to The Dragon War, around the Merethic Era, Dragons considered themselves superior to man. For dragons, power equaled truth. They had the immense power, so therefore it must be truth and thus they ruled over man. Dragons granted small amounts of power to the dragon priests in exchange for absolute obedience. In turn, the dragon priests ruled men as equals to the kings. The dragon priests demanded tribute and set down laws and codes of living that kept peace between Dragons and men.

Rebellion
Eventually man rebelled against Dragons during the Dragon Wars and killed large numbers of them. The surviving dragon priests were overthrown. The dragon cult itself adapted and survived. They built the dragon mounds, entombing the remains of dragons that fell in the war. They believed that one day the dragons would rise again and reward the faithful.

Last remnants
Remnants of the Dragon Cult remained until 1E 139, when a legion of Lord Harald's soldiers discovered a hidden stronghold of Dragon Cultists in Forelhost. This particular hold out was led by the powerful Dragon Priest Rahgot. In death, they continue their service, guarding the Word Walls that facilitate the learning of Dragon shouts.

Masks
Some priests wear unique Dragon Priest Masks that can be obtained by killing the priest. Each mask has a different enchantment.

Dragon Priest Shrine
The structure in The Labyrinthian suggests that there are 8 unique masks in total but once someone has collected all the eight masks and placed them correctly on the busts in the "past", a ninth mask, called Konahrik, will appear. The Wooden Mask is the key to going back in time. Nameless Dragon Priests exist in game that do not have a mask. Placing an improved mask on the altar and taking it back off removes the improvements made to it by smithing.

Skills

 * Weapons: 15
 * Armor: 15
 * Conjuration: 100
 * Alteration: 100
 * Destruction: 100
 * Restoration: 100
 * Illusion: 15
 * Sneak: 40

Related Pages

 * Dragon Priest Shrine
 * Dragon Priest Masks

Equipment
Before fighting any of the dragon priests, it is essential that you have the correct equipment. Always stock up on Resist Shock, Fire, Frost and Resist Magic potions. These 4 potions will cover a large portion of the damage dealt by the dragon priest and will definitely make the fight easier. Depending on your class, it would also be wise to buy a potion that boosts damage (I.e, Potion Of Destruction, Potion Of The Warrior or Potion Of True Shot). Also bear in mind that potions have 4 grades: Potion (Weakest) Draught (Weak) Philter (Strong) and Elixir (Strongest). The strongest potions, Elixirs, can be purchased from any Alchemy store for less than 800 Septims. Lastly, any armor which you can enchant with Resist Magic or Elemental Damage will give you the final edge needed to take on the dragon priest.

Protecting against elemental damage
It is possible (and simple) to find gear in game that protects against a percentage of elemental damage. That percentage stacks. If you have the right gear, it is completely possible that you can completely nullify any and all elemental damage, as the Priests have no known melee attacks. For instance., Spellbreaker can be used to block all spells used by the priests.

Coffin exploit
Get the Priests to come out of their sarcophagus, run and rest for 1 hour. Come back and they'll be laying down in their tomb with the top off. They are triggered just like any Draugr, so you can sneak up on them and get a critical sneak hit/kill. Followers flagged as essential can be used as tanks here.

Rock formations
Many areas where Priests are fought contain ledges, cliffs, and rocks which can be used as cover to snipe them from a distance with bows. They retaliate with long ranged spells but often hit surrounding terrain.

Unrelenting Force
When the Priests are near the edge of any kind of cliff or ledge, use Unrelenting Force to push them off the edge. Some Priests will back away towards the edge anyway, so keep attacking until they are there.

Followers
Bring an invincible follower (Dark Brotherhood initiate, any Blades member, Derkeethus or Barbas) and use the Summon Spectral Assassin power. Their purpose is to provide a distraction for the Dragon Priest, allowing you to attack him and dispatch him with ease. Also, even if your character is non-blade oriented, it is highly recommended to use a Silver Sword, as it is very effective against the undead, regardless of its low damage value.

Staff of Magnus
After defeating Morokei, one of the eight named dragon priests, he drops the Staff of Magnus which is used for the College of Winterhold questline. It is also extremely useful against all the other dragon priests. Using the Staff of Magnus and a constant healing spell is a very easy way to defeat any of them. It drains Magicka at an extremely quick pace and the healing spell will only be needed for the first 10 or so seconds of combat. After that, the dragon priest will be helpless as he has no melee attack and his magicka is drained. It will then start to drain his health as well. It takes a while so make sure to have a stock of filled Soul Gems for recharging the staff.

The Warrior strategy
One way to defeat Dragon Priests is to hit them with power attacks. This staggers them, preventing them from attacking. A decent amount of stamina potions are needed, or a single food item that provides stamina regen over time (as the food item prevents stamina from ever fully dropping out, allowing continuous power attacks). Another way for warrior characters to defeat Dragon Priests is to pin them in a corner so they can't back away to a range where they can just repeatedly hit you with magic attacks. This method can require a large amount of health potions or magicka potions if a healing spell is used.

Souls
Dragon Priests can fill Grand Soul gems.

Appearances

 * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Drachenpriester