It’s been seven years since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released for the Xbox 360, the PS3 (thought that particular port was a bug-riddled mess), and PC. It was as janky as any other Bethesda-led title upon release. Yet, for all its faults, Skyrim is still enjoyed by millions over half a decade after it first hit store shelves. Part of that can be attributed to Bethesda’s relentless onslaught of special editions and re-releases over the years, but a huge aspect of the aging game’s recurring player count can be attributed to just how well fleshed-out the title actually is.

While games like Fallout 4 and the critically lambasted Fallout 76 seem to signify that Bethesda has grown less and less enthused with the prospect of in-house game development, Skyrim remains a reminder of what they can achieve when they aren’t busy simplifying RPG mechanics and shoehorning micro transactions into their games.

Skyrim isn’t really known for it’s bosses: there are a few high-level enemy encounters which stand out, particularly in the DLC, but, on the whole, the game is more about the joy of exploration than it is the thrill of combat. That said, there are still a fair few memorable boss encounters present in this section of Tamriel that ought to give even the most skilled players a run for their money… and a few worthless ones that everyone forgot.

Here are The 10 Most Powerful (And 10 Completely Worthless) Skyrim Bosses, Officially Ranked.

Powerful: Frost Giant Karstaag

Technically first encountered in The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon, the second expansion pack for 2003’s Morrowind, Frost Giant Karstaag can be encountered in spirit form in Skyrim’s unmarked "Summoning Karstaag" quest.

First, the player must uncover Karstaag's skull, which can be found in Glacial Cave, a cavern just north of Saering’s Watch. From there, the skull must be taken to the ruins of Castle Karstaag and placed on the Frost Giant ruler’s old throne. At that point, he will be summoned in ethereal form and attack the player on sight. He is an incredibly formidable opponent, and players need to be prepared. Once defeated, Karstaag can be summoned to aid the player in combat.

Worthless: The Caller

The primary antagonist of a quest commissioned by the College of Winterhold titled "Hitting the Books", The Caller, is an Altmer mage who leads a faction of mages residing in Fellglow keep, a ruined fort near Whiterun. She stole some ancient books the College of Whiterun wants for… well, who really knows. Regardless, it’s up to the Dragonborn to defeat her and retrieve them.

Though the boss is moderately difficult if the player plans on facing her head-on, her fight can easily be circumvented with an appropriately-leveled persuasion or sneak skill. Players can quite literally either talk her into relinquishing the books without a fight, or simply sneak around to her backside and one-shot her, looting the quest items from her body.

Powerful: The Ebony Warrior

The Ebony Warrior is a mysterious Redguard warrior who is only made accessible to the player in the Dragonborn DLC. Once the player reaches level 80 and enters any of a select few principalities, they will be able to interact with this enigmatic figure. He will announce that he has conquered every quest available to him, and that his final goal is to fall in battle against a worthy combatant so that he may enter the Nordic realm of Sovngarde in the afterlife.

The player may then find him at a campsite known as the Last Vigil in the Velothi Mountains. In combat, he is notorious for his ebony armor, which grants him a huge defensive boost, as well as his numerous health-recovering abilities and ebony boy, which causes paralysis.

Worthless: Krev the Skinner

Krev the Skinner is the leader of a band of werewolf hunters known as The Silver Hand and is encountered by the Dragonborn during a quest of the same name. Though some players have expressed their frustrations with the fight, this boss is a total pushover in certain circumstances. Given that this quest, as with many of the quests leading up to it, involves lycanthropy, it can be used here to provide a serious advantage over Kreb.

When in beast form, spam the Howl of Terror ability, and he’ll flee, leaving him open to attacks. This boss becomes significantly more difficult at higher levels, so this questline should be tackled as soon as possible for those interested in lycanthropic transformations in Skyrim.

Powerful: Harkon

Found in the Dawnguard DLC, Vampire Lord Harkon is one of the most interesting characters encountered at any point in the game. As the leader of a brood of vampires known as the Volkihar Clan, he claims to have been turned into a vampire after pledging himself to Molag Bal in exchange for eternal life. His master plan is to invoke a prophecy known as Tyranny of the Sun, which is said to have the power to extinguish the sun and allow vampires to rule in eternal night.

Regardless of allegiances, the Dragonborn will eventually have to stop him. Though extremely powerful, he is memorable more for his backstory than for the actual boss encounter.

Worthless: Jaree-Ra

Found in Solitude by approaching an Argonian marauder named Jaree-Ra, "Lights Out" is perhaps one of the most memorable non-essential quests in Skyrim. The basic premise involves the aforementioned rogue and his sister, Deeja, who lead a gang of bandits known as the Blackblood Marauders. They plan on running an Imperial icerunner aground and looting it with the help of the Dragonborn.

Once that’s done, the player is forced to dispatch a traitorous Deeja and must then hunt down her brother in the nearby Broken Oar Grotto. Though the premise is interesting, Jaree-Ra doesn’t put up much of a fight and should easily be eliminated by any sufficiently stealthy player.

Powerful: Arch-Curate Vyrthur

For those interested in Vampirism in Skyrim, Arch-Curate Vyrthur is, alongside Lord Harkon, one of the most important villains in the Elder Scrolls series. Vyrthur and his brother are said to be the last two living Snow Elves in the land of Tamriel. Infected at some point during the Merethic Era, Arch-Curate Vyrthur blames his condition on the deity Auri-El and created the aforementioned Tyranny of the Sun prophecy to spite him.

In combat, Arch-Curate Vyrthur is known for his unique Vampiric Drain ability, which drains the players stamina alongside his or her health. Arch-Curate Vyrthur serves as the final boss of "Touching the Sky", the penultimate quest in Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC.

Worthless: Hagraven Petra

Hagraven Petra is the primary antagonist of a small ancillary quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim known as "The Affairs of Hagravens". This quest is started upon encountering a conflicting pair of hagravens just outside of Blind Cliff Cave.

Once inside, the player will discover a caged hagraven named Melka begging for release. Once freed, she’ll attack Petra, her sister, and ultimately defeat her. The player can in the fight against Petra should he or she choose to do so, though it isn’t totally necessary. Once the battle is over, Melka will reward the Dragonborn with the Eye of Melka weapon.

Powerful: Vulthuryol

Those obsessed with Skyrim’s dragons will want to thoroughly explore the city of Blackreach, as the hidden Ancient Dragon Vulthuryol can be found there. To bait him into revealing himself, gain access to the large yellow orb found hovering over the Hall of Rumination relatively close to the Great Lift of Mzinchaleft.

From there, use Unrelenting Force on the orb, which will prompt this mysterious dragon to appear. Vulthuryol will be much more difficult to take down than just about any other dragon in the game, and he can only ever be summoned once, so some quicksave trickery may be necessary.

Worthless: Drelas

Drelas is perhaps the most useless unique enemy in the entirety of the Elder Scrolls series. As a necromancer who resides in a small, unremarkable cottage near Whiterun Hold, he attacks the player on site as soon as they enter his dwelling. He is easily dispatched regardless of level, and there isn’t much worth taking in his home once he has been dealt with.

He does possess a non-unique staff and robes of extreme restoration, which can be somewhat useful. Not much is known about this strange, secluded sorcerer, and plenty of players have likely gone through the entire game without knowing that this NPC even existed.