Highlights
- Skyrim boasts a diverse range of characters, from kind helpers to despicable villains like Lord Harkon and Mercer Frey.
- Lord Harkon, a Nord Vampire, is particularly loathed for betraying his family to Molag Bal and plotting to destroy the sun.
Skyrim still has one of the most diverse casts of characters in all of gaming. There are orcs, the Khajiit, vampires, and werewolves found throughout the lands within Tamriel.
A Debate Over How You Should Path Through Skyrim's Whiterun Has Proven Divisive
I stop and speak to all my fellow citizens of Whiterun.
However, while plenty of these characters are kind and seek to aid you on your quest, there are more than a handful that are quite the opposite. This has led to a discussion on Reddit, which has seen people debate the game's "most hateful character".
Lord Harkon, The Nord Vampire
The most hateful characters were comedically described as falling into two distinct categories:
- Villains who harm/kill/enslave people
- Some rando who said something not-nice to the player that one time
Harkon, the Nord Vampire, definitely falls into category one.
The core reason for the hatred is the fact that "this pathetic excuse for a Nord sold his own family to Molag Bal out of all beings to prolong his disgusting existence for eternity." Not only this, but by selling his family out, he allowed them to be abused by Molag Bal.
However, this wasn't the only crime Harkon, a vampire who debuted in Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC, was guilty of. "His end game is basically a slow death for his cult," one player said of the character's end goal of destroying the sun.
One player succinctly summed up the feelings of the whole Skyrim community by saying: "If thousands of people hate Harkon, I am one of them. If there is just one person hating Harkon, it's me. If there are no people hating Harkon, I am dead."
Mercer Frey, Breton Leader Of The Thieves Guild
While probably not quite as despicable as Harkon, Mercer Frey is a universally disliked character for different reasons.
"The guy thinks it’s a smart idea to betray not only his close friends but a literal Deadric Prince just to get rich quick", one player said, with another adding, "Yeah, betraying a Daedric Prince just for more money is a really dumb move."
It wasn't only his actions that made people dislike him, though. One player said they "didn't even like that guy before finding out what he did; he's just an ass."
Players' dislike for Mercer Frey is exemplified by just how many shared their delight at having to kill the character, with one player calling it "one of the most satisfying moments in gaming".
Maven Black-Briar
Maven Black-Briar was another popular pick for Skyrim's most hated character, slammed for "openly stealing her bling from a poor craftsargonian, ruining everybody's life for her and her scum family, while getting zero karma back."
The character is immortal in the game, but the hatred for her is so much that players have resorted to downloading mods just to kill her.
It quickly became clear that Maven was strongly disliked in Skyrim. However, players claimed that she's a character they "love to hate." Although she's "a nasty evil woman", she was also described as "charming," with her part as a role-playing character lauded.
Other popular, if you can use that word, picks for the most hated character included Arcano, Rolf Stone-Fist, Grelod the Kind, and Astrid.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
One of the all-time greats, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim redefined the concept of the Western RPG. With countless awards under its belt and releases on almost every platform imaginable, you'll find yourself engrossed in a colossal open world in your role as the Dragonborn. You must face your destiny and save the land from a formidable foe.
