Spoilers for the main quest of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall.
Daggerfall has several possible endings, not one fixed conclusion. The faction you choose to entrust with the Totem earlier in the main quest determines who can use the Mantella and Numidium—and whether the result is conquest, the Underking’s release, or Mannimarco’s apotheosis. The finale follows that earlier decision; it is not a separate last-minute ending menu.
Why the Totem and Mantella decide the ending
The conflict centers on Numidium, an ancient golem once used by Tiber Septim to unify Tamriel. Bethesda’s official Daggerfall page describes it as a powerful weapon that has been found in the Iliac Bay. The Mantella is the power source needed to operate Numidium, while the Totem is tied to controlling it.
During the main quest, you pursue the Totem and recover the Mantella after choosing which claimant or faction to support. That allegiance determines who is positioned to wield the power at the climax. The resulting branches are distinct political and personal outcomes, not variations on a single victory.
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What happens in each main ending?
The following are the five ordinary faction outcomes described in secondary ending summaries. The details below are a concise overview rather than a claim that every branch has been established by an official Bethesda ending guide.
| Who receives or uses the power | Outcome |
|---|---|
| The Underking | He receives the Mantella, absorbs its power, and is finally able to rest. In accounts where Numidium is used first, the Underking intervenes to destroy the golem. |
| Gortwog and the Orcs | Gortwog turns Numidium against Imperial forces and the Bay Kings. The outcome allows the Orcs to establish Orsinium. |
| The Emperor and the Blades | The Imperial side uses Numidium to defeat its rivals and restore imperial dominance. |
| Daggerfall, Wayrest, or Sentinel | The victorious Iliac Bay king uses Numidium against the other regional powers. The Underking then destroys the golem, ending the king’s bid for control. |
| Mannimarco, the King of Worms | He uses the Mantella to become a god rather than using Numidium for territorial conquest. |
The meaningful distinction is what each claimant does with the power: use Numidium to conquer rivals, use the Mantella for apotheosis, or allow the Underking to absorb its power and find release.
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Is there an ending where the player activates Numidium?
Some reference summaries report a sixth outcome in which the player keeps the Totem and activates the Mantella personally. In that account, Numidium kills the player and Imperial forces then destroy the golem. The same summaries say this ending is not normally achievable through the game’s progression and may be cut or erroneous.
It is safest to distinguish five normal faction outcomes from this disputed report. You may see sources count six endings, but that count includes the uncertain player-activated branch.
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Is there a canon ending to Daggerfall?
The game presents branching conclusions based on the player’s earlier choice; it does not make one of those outcomes the sole ending every player receives. The available official game-page material establishes Numidium’s role in the premise, but does not identify one branch as the definitive ending. Detailed claims about how later Elder Scrolls continuity reconciles the different outcomes require a separate primary in-universe or official source; the endings alone do not settle that question.
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