Lurkers are towering, fish-faced Daedra introduced in Dragonborn. Loading screens describe them as natives of the murky waters of Apocrypha, the library-realm of the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora, and that is where most of them serve. Miraak, however, bent a number of them to his own purposes during his long exile there, which is why they also wade ashore on Solstheim. Think of a giant that swapped its club for tentacles and acid, and you are close.
They fight much like giants, too: several of their animations are borrowed from them, and a Lurker on the move can even look as if it is shouldering an invisible club. Unlike giants, though, they back up the heavy stomps with ranged attacks and poisonous tentacles that erupt from the ground.
Variants
Four ranks of Lurker exist. Higher ranks appear as the Dragonborn gains levels and hold progressively larger souls.
| Variant | Level | Health | Stamina | Soul |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lurker | 24 | 818 | 277 | Common |
| Lurker Guardian | 34 | 1135 | 410 | Greater |
| Lurker Sentinel | 44 | 1451 | 444 | Grand |
| Lurker Vindicator | 54 | 1768 | 477 | Grand |
All variants have 15 Magicka. The game files also contain a second record simply named Lurker at level 32, which is not covered by the usual variant table.
Where to find them
- Apocrypha – Lurkers patrol the realm throughout, often standing guard over books of forbidden knowledge.
- Solstheim – random encounters in the wilds, where they pick fights with local wildlife and residents alike. Two or three may climb out of the sea near the Beast Stone.
- The All-Maker Stones – after learning Bend Will in “The Fate of the Skaal”, each stone the Dragonborn frees during “Cleansing the Stones” releases a Lurker. Watch out for bystanders: the guards and townsfolk around the Earth Stone outside Raven Rock will happily throw themselves at it and lose.
Notes
- Lurkers cannot be conjured, but Bend Will turns one into a temporary ally.
- Despite being Daedra, they ignore Banish Daedra – the spell neither sends them away nor hurts them, although it can still stagger them.
- Unrelenting Force only staggers a Lurker; it will not send it flying.
- After a Lurker dies at one of the stones, a ghostly Lurker can sometimes be seen drifting across the sky – possibly the same creature that emerges from the next stone.
- Compare them with the other servants of Hermaeus Mora, the Seekers, which favour magic over brute force.
