Molag Bal

He stole your soul; now you must fight to take it back.

Molag Bal stands as the Daedric Prince attempting to meld the plane of Mundus with his own realm, Coldharbour. In The Elder Scrolls Online, set during the Second Era, he is the primary antagonist whose actions drive the central conflict of the game. He has stolen the soul of the player character, leaving behind a 'soul shriven' husk enslaved in his prison. This act of theft and enslavement serves as the catalyst for the entire narrative, forcing the protagonist to escape Coldharbour and recover their identity.

Quick Facts

Role: Daedric Prince attempting to meld Mundus with Coldharbour
Realm: Coldharbour

Lore & Background

The events of The Elder Scrolls Online unfold while Molag Bal wages a war against the world itself. His primary objective is to merge Mundus with Coldharbour, a dark reflection of Tamriel where geography contorts to enforce his control. The game begins in the Wailing Prison within this realm, where the player character arrives as a soulless slave known as a 'soul shriven.' Unlike other conflicts fought for political power on Tamriel, such as the struggle for the Imperial Throne, Bal's war is existential.

He has stolen the protagonist's soul, and civilians rescued from Coldharbour's prisons gather in the Hollow City, from which attacks on his territory are launched. The recovery of these stolen souls becomes the primary game objective, shifting the player's base of operations from a simple cave called the Harborage to the Hollow City in central Coldharbour once the Amulet of Kings is retrieved.

Reader's Guide

To succeed against Molag Bal, players must navigate the Second Era's major struggle: stopping the Daedric Prince's plan to merge Mundus with Coldharbour. The journey begins in the Wailing Prison, where escaping one's status as a 'soul shriven' is the first step toward regaining agency. Players can join any of the three warring factions—the Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant, or Ebonheart Pact—regardless of their race, to fight against Bal's influence. The game structure mirrors Skyrim with two simultaneous conflicts: one for supreme power on Tamriel and one for the fate of the world itself. Progression involves moving from the Harborage, a cave found at starting cities where the Prophet opens portals, to the Hollow City in Coldharbour. Here, players organize attacks on Bal's controlled zones using civilians rescued from his prisons.