What is the best summon?

[Warden Epsilon]

So, just a simple question; what is the best summon available in-game, without mods? I've been looking around, asking a few questions on Reddit, but I haven't quite been able to get a concise answer; I got quite a few recommendations for the Dremora Deathlord, but I've also heard that the Storm Atronach was better, and I've seen several lists claiming that the Seeker summon you could get from Apocrypha in the Dragonborn DLC was the best overall.

So... which is it? I mean, I know that the Deathlord is quite possibly the best when it comes to melee, but is it really the best overall? I was wanting to try and get a summon with some range; I figured it would be helpful dealing with anything from archer bandits in tricky locations to dragons that refuse to land.

Anyone got any recommendations?

[alexander_dougherty]

Try them out in combat, see which one kills enemies the quickest...

[Krash Megiddo]

Deathlord. He has some amusing quotes.

[rallicknom]

As in most things it is a matter of personal preference. Probably depends on the situation. Try them all out and use the one you prefer. Should keep you busy for a while.

[Sabaithal]

Dremora Lords have very high melee attack power and are pretty aggressive. They work out most of the time, but they can sometimes end up going on the defensive and being overwhelmed by enemies like deathlords and giants.

Storm Atronachs are primarily ranged combatants, though they're not afraid to close melee distance if they have to. That being said they're not quite as durable as dremora or frost atronachs.

Frost atronachs have crap DPS, but are kind of tanky and cheap to summon. And they can block enemies with their huge frames. Useful for distractions.

Use whichever one suits the situation.

[Turtleswatter]

Here's a list. You can decide what gives most value for the magic cost, depending on the level you're at and what your circumstances are.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Conjuration_Spells

[Rez Elwin]

Dremora Lords are usually the answer, I like to roll with a Dremora Lord and a Seeker, the seeker will create a clone of itself giving you three summons, you unfortunately cannot summon two seekers at once.

At least for vanilla, I will eventually give myself the cut summon for the dragon priest, that is the strongest summon in the game. I like to make it feel worth it though and collect every mask first.

[lukandroll]

I think its situational
Twin Dremora lords are great warriors for clearing up rooms and camps, and dealing tons of damage in seconds, most of the time they obliterate everything in their path and they have funny oneliners
Storm atronachs are more tactical, great against dragons for example

I think you have to make a decision if you want to be a daedra conjurator or a necromancer
You can spec on both perk trees, but you will be more of a pure Conjurator

[Mr. Monday]

Arniel's Shade. It costs zero magicka so you can cast it whenever you need it and he's also invulnerable so you can use him to aggro enemies onto him and away from you. Downsides are he doesn't do a lot of damage because he seems to favor the sparks spell, and you don't gain xp from using him. Personally I think the benefits outweigh the downsides.