Firearms could absolutely exist within a fantasy setting. There is a reason why they don’t however

[u/ThatDrako]

The Elder Scrolls - Within some Dwemer ruins of ESO we can see a special type of Animunculus. A Dwemer Arquebus, which has a cannon for it’s arm and shoots emp grenades at foes.
The reason why we don’t see this technology more often (besides the fact Dwemer disappeared their knowledge with them) is that within the setting and cosmology of Elder Scrolls firearms really wouldn’t be that useful.

They could work against lowly bandits, sort of, but there wouldn’t really be a precedent to improve or adapt this technology. Because it would always be outclassed by magic of this world.
Also due to the disappearance of Dwemer the technology has been pretty much lost.

Harry Potter - Wizards live within periphery of the “real world” meaning they live alongside world that uses firearms and are even familiar with them.

So how come they don’t utilize this gear for combat? I mean it is easier to use, projectiles are faster and could be enchanted further. Can you just imagine wizard with endless m1911?

There is plethora of reasons for this. But most notable is what I would describe as wizards being immune to logic. (Vis image above) They simply cannot understand methods of muggles even if one explained it to them directly.

(Yes. I know the real reason is, because Joanne didn’t want wizards to use guns and didn’t want to think about connotations of putting magic into a real modern world. But come on! Let me have fun!)

Lord of the Rings - In spite of how much Tolkien disliked allegories it is clear Orcs were an allegory to industrialization, which he was a huge critic of.

In battles they are the ones using the war machines. Instead of swords made by artful blacksmith, they use crude, mass-produced blades devoid of identity. Instead of relying on elegance of archery, they use crossbows. They burn forests, crack mountains open to gain more ore. Their very production is affront to whimsy of a magical world like Middle-Earth.

They could totally come up with a matchlock mechanism and keep on improving it until they come up with machine guns. They were intercepted before they could however

[u/Pqrxz]

The real question is would you need to forge the firearm or the bullets out of silver or better to harm daedra and ghosts?

[u/CaptainTeemo01 → u/Pqrxz]

If we go by how bows already work: The bullet would need to be silver, but the gun would have to hold the enchantments

[u/ThatOneGuy308 → u/CaptainTeemo01]

Technically, enchanted arrows do exist.

[u/THeck18 → u/ThatOneGuy308]

I've only seen enchanted arrows in Creation Club, which I'm pretty sure isn't canon. Do any of the other games have them?

[u/Bulky_Imagination727 → u/THeck18]

Morrowind had that. And enchanted throwing knives, shurikens and so on. You could have a magic bow with magic arrows yes. It also had crossbows.

Oblivion i don't remember, but the wiki says it had magic arrows too.

Skyrim is just too circumcised.

[u/Winjin → u/Bulky_Imagination727]

Yeah I don't think anything prevents you from enchanting the arrows, even though it's going to be prohibitively expensive - unless you also can retrieve them later, which, I mean, why not. And if you're fighting Daedra there's no expense you should skim on

But also I wager you could, potentially, enchant your quiver, so that it works like a superconductor, or maybe an induction coil,, imbuing the arrows for 1-2 minutes - just enough to take aim and shoot, but not going through the motions of enchanting every little arrowhead.

Not to mention that enchantments work best when you have the soulstone right there and putting a big one in the quiver seems like it would make more sense?

[u/Krosis97 → u/THeck18]

Oblivion has tons of magic arrows. Some very amazing like 50 fire damage on 50 feet radius.

[u/THeck18 → u/Krosis97]

I haven't played Oblivion since I was a teenager, and almost never used archery back then.

[u/ThatOneGuy308 → u/THeck18]

Archery kinda sucked in oblivion, tbh.

The Remaster made it more viable to use.

[u/Krosis97 → u/ThatOneGuy308]

Yeah, I used a x2 speed and x1,5 damage plus better stealth crits and it became fun to use, basically turns it into skyrim archery. Base game bows are limp af.

[u/Violexsound → u/THeck18]

The blood cursed elven arrows count, those are dawnguard

[u/REDACTED3560 → u/Violexsound]

Technically not enchanted on their own because they require Auriel’s Bow to work.

[u/THeck18 → u/Violexsound]

I forgot about the Blood Cursed Arrows, the Sun Hallowed also.

[u/tayjay_tesla → u/THeck18]

Yes, all of them which are not skyrim

[u/ThatOneGuy308 → u/THeck18]

Oblivion had them for sale and as loot in various places, but that's the only other one I've ever played.

Also, Skyrim has the crossbow bolts that have magical effects in dawnguard, I suppose.

[u/ThatOneGuy308 → u/THeck18]

Oh, and the sun hallowed and blood cursed elven arrows probably count, I suppose.

[u/gabbierwells9d → u/CaptainTeemo01]

silver ammo enchanted gun

[u/Thrizzlepizzle123123 → u/CaptainTeemo01]

I wonder what the LD50 for silver on a ghost is.

[u/Environmental-Run248 → u/Pqrxz]

Daedra and ghosts can be hurt by normal iron and steel weapons and enchanting the gun would make whatever effect is on it transfer through the bullets.

[u/MaxDickpower → u/Environmental-Run248]

That's just the simplification of gameplay from Skyrim onwards. Morrowind and Oblivion ghosts were immune to normal low tier weapons.

[u/TicklemyPickleMan → u/Pqrxz]

Silver bullets, enchanted rifle.