Daggerfall:Concept Art

Shown below are various pieces of concept art created for Daggerfall.

Several of these images were published on the cover CD of the Czech gaming magazine SCORE (issue #26, February 1996). The date stamps on the image files are from 2 February 1996.^[1] Others are sketches by Mark Jackson and David Lee Anderson hosted here with the permission of the artists.

Character[edit]

Armored Warrior
Black Abbess, Leader of the Coven
Boethiah
Centaur
Clavicus Vile
Coven Diaphanous Babe/Warrior and Acolyte
Soldiers
The Pallbearer
Dark Brotherhood Priestess and Fighter/Thief
Dark Brotherhood Temple Dancer
Elf
Elf
Dreugh
Gargoyle
Harpy
Hermaeus Mora
Khajiiti Warriors
Lysandus the Shade
Mages Guild wizard and Fire Mage
Mages Guild wizard
Mala-Car
Moloch Baal
Necromancer Warriors/Guards
Nocturnal
Orc
Peryite
Temple Dancer and King of Worms
Temple High Priest
The Bride
Coven Crone
The Nymph
The Underking
The Underking
The Wereboar
The Werewolf
Unknown Creature
Unknown Creature
Ice Atronach
Unknown Monster
(possibly Flesh Atronach?)
Unknown Monster
(possibly Fire or Iron Atronach?)
Spriggan

Location[edit]

Battlefield
Castle
Castle Courtyard
Cauldron
City (CES)
City Market
Library
Scrollkeepers Tower

Manual Art[edit]

Emblems[edit]

The Elder Scrolls Chapter II
Sigil of Daggerfall
Sigil of Sentinel
Sigil of Wayrest

Scene[edit]

Archers and a horizon on fire
War of Betony
Dark Elves warring Nords

CES Teaser Poster[edit]

Here's a special art for Daggerfall created by David Lee Anderson. Most likely produced very early on for Summer CES in June 1994, Bethesda wanted a rush job from him to do a mock game box cover for the to promote Daggerfall at the show. Notably the instructions for the cover artist were seemingly reused for later revisions of the game box art, meaning the "Sorceress" here is almost certainly Medora Direnni.

"I did run across an original painting that I did as a possible cover for Daggerfall that Bethesda did not end up using. They wanted a rush job from me to do a fake cover for the CES show that they were doing promo for Daggerfall" -- David Lee Anderson

Cover Artist Instructions:DAGGERFALL~POINTY BLADE
——————PART II ELDER SCROLLS SERIES
JULIAN – CES THURS-
CONSUMER ELECTRONIC SHOW
LOGO – AND MOCK GAME BOX DESIGN
MOVIE POSTER – MONTAGE – EPIC
UNDEAD GHOST OF A DEAD KING
CLAWED HAND HOLD ARMY BANNER
RIDER OF HORSE HEAVY ARMOR
SORCERESS
BIGWORLD – MEDIEVAL CITY – TOWN

Cover Artist Instructions
Logo and Knife
Logos
Logos
Logos
Sorceress
Poster Sketch
Mock Poster

Box Art[edit]

Shown below are the various concept iterations of the Daggerfall box art by artist Louise Sandoval. According to lead designer Ted Peterson, he wanted the box art of Daggerfall to pay homage to the original movie poster for 1981's Excalibur, with a lot of elements appearing all at once, but the team found the images produced by this method to be far too busy, and focused in on the very compelling visual of the Underking with a clawed hand projected for the final artwork.^[2] The earlier box art depicted Medora Direnni in the lower right corner.^[2]