The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - a step-by-step walkthrough
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Walkthrough version: 1.0
Game Version: 1.9
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Written by: Rune Hansen - thunderztorm@hotmail.com
If you wish to mail me with corrections/additions, please write "skyrim wt" as
topic. I may not reply to your mail, but rest assured that I read them all.
Note, I am obviously doing this for free and for fun. If you still think I
deserve more than just a thanks, feel free to donate a bit via PayPal - same
e-mail as above. This is in no way expected of you, however! :)
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Table of Contents:
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I. Introduction
II. Legal stuff
III. Mods
IV. About the walkthrough
V. General tips
VI. Items to save
VII. Walkthrough
1. Guardian Stones/Riverwood
2. Bandit Camp
3. Shrine of Talos
4. Standing Stones/Altar
5. Hunter Camp
6. Anise's Cabin
7. Riverwood
8. Embershard Mine
9. Bleak Falls Barrow
10. Whiterun Farmlands
11. Whiterun
12. Jorrvaskr/The Companions
13. White River Watch
14. The Ritual Stone
15. Graywinter Watch
16. Whiterun Stormcloak Camp
17. Guldun Rock
18. Valtheim Towers
19. Whitewatch Tower
20. Loreius Farm
21. Halted Stream Camp
22. Silent Moon Camp
23. Bleakwind Basin
24. Fort Greymoor
25. Redoran's Retreat
26. Greenspring Hollow
27. Hamvir's Rest
28. Dustman's Cairn
29. Gallow's Rock
30. Cradlecrush Rock
31. Mixwater Mill
32. Secunda's Kiss
33. Sleeping Tree Camp
34. Bloated Man's Grotto
35. North Brittleshin Pass
36. South Brittleshin Pass
37. The Lady Stone
38. Half-Moon Mill
39. Falkreath Watchtower
40. North/South Shriekwind Bastion
41. Roadside Ruins
42. Falkreath
43. Evergreen Grove
44. Bannermist Tower
45. Hunter's Rest
46. Moss Mother Cavern
47. Sunderstone Gorge
48. Bilegulch Mine
49. Knifepoint Ridge
50. Peak's Shade tower
51. Ancestor's Glade
52. Angi's Camp
53. Bloodlet Throne
54. Southfringe Sanctum
55. Fort Neugrad
56. Greywater Grotto
57. Helgen
58. Bonechill Passage
59. Ancient's Ascent
60. Orphan Rock
61. Falkreath Stormcloak Camp
62. Haemar's Shame
63. Alchemist's Shack
64. Rift Imperial Camp
65. Arcwind Point
66. Autumnwatch Tower
67. Froki's Shack
68. Ruins of Bthalft
69. Honeystrand Cave
70. Ivarstead
71. Shroud Hearth Barrow
72. Pinepeak Cavern
73. High Hrothgar
74. Nilheim
75. Sarethi Farm
76. Treva's Watch
77. Rift Watchtower
78. Clearspring Tarn
79. Boulderfall cave
80. Fort Greenwall
81. Merryfair Farm
82. Riften
83. Questing interlude 1.
84. The Ratway & the Ragged Flagon
85. Autumnshade Clearing
86. Faldar's Tooth
87. Heartwood Mill
88. Glenmoril Coven
89. Driftshade Refuge
90. Ysgramor's Tomb
91. Angarvunde
92. Avanchnzel
93. Snow-Shod Farm
94. Goldenglow Estate
95. Honningbrew Meadery
96. Largashbur
97. Darklight Tower
98. Ruins of Rkund
99. Crystaldrift Cave
100. The Shadow Stone
101. Lost Tongue Overlook
102. Forelhost
103. Broken Helm Hollow
104. Stendarr's Beacon
105. Fort Dawnguard
106. Black-Briar Lodge
107. Lost Prospect Mine
108. Fallowstone Cave/Giant's Grove
109. Shor's Stone
110. Shor's Watchtower
111. Northwind Mine
112. Northwind Summit
113. Cragslane Cavern
114. Ansilvund
115. Kagrenzel
116. Stony Creek Cave
117. Eastmarch Imperial Camp
118. Snapleg Cave
119. Mistwatch
120. Darkwater Crossing
121. Darkwater Pass
122. The Atronach Stone
123. Eldergleam Sanctuary
124. Fort Amol
125. Lost Knife Hideout
126. Abandoned Prison
127. Hillgrund's Tomb
128. Darkshade
129. Broken Limb Camp
130. Cronvangr Cave
131. Riverside Shack
132. Kynesgrove
133. Witchmist Grove
134. Bonestrewn Crest
135. Steamcrag Camp
136. Cragwallow Slope
137. Narzulbur & Gloombound Mine
138. Mara's Eye Pond
139. Morvunskar
140. Windhelm Stables
141. Windhelm
142. Brandy-Mug Farm
143. Hlaalu Farm
144. Hollyfrost Farm
145. Yngol Barrow
146. Wreck of the Winter War
147. Traitor's Post
148. Refugees' Rest
149. Sacellum of Boethiah
150. Anga's Mill
151. Brone Water Cave
152. Forsaken Cave
153. Nightgate Inn
154. Tumble Arch Pass
155. Shrouded Grove
156. Silverdrift Lair
157. Ironbind Barrow
158. Wayward Pass
159. Yorgrim Overlook
160. Fort Kastav
161. Stillborn Cave
162. Whistling Mine
163. Journeyman's Nook
164. Bleakcoast Cave
165. The Serpent Stone
166. Wreck of The Pride of Tel Vos
167. Winterhold
168. College of Winterhold
169. Skytemple Ruins
170. Pilgrim's Trench
171. The Tower Stone
172. Hob's Fall Cave
173. Frostflow Lighthouse
174. Saarthal
175. Questing interlude 2
176. Shimmermist Cave
177. Shearpoint
178. Fellglow Keep
179. The Midden
180. Mzulft
181. Sightless Pit
182. Mount Anthor
183. Shrine of Azura
184. Ilinalta's Deep
185. Snowpoint Beacon
186. Fort Fellhammer
187. Duskglow Crevice
188. Weynon Stones
189. Blizzard Rest
190. Fort Dunstad
191. Stonehill Bluff
192. The Lord Stone
193. Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon
194. Skyborn Altar
195. Shalidor's Maze
196. Lost Valkygg
197. Labyrinthian
198. Stonehills
199. Frostmere Crypt
200. Hall of the Vigilant
201. Red Road Pass
202. Mzinchaleft
203. Windward Ruins
204. Dawnstar
205. Nightcaller Temple
206. Questing Interlude 3
207. Halldir's Cairn
208. Cracked Tusk Keep
209. Overall Status
210. Main Story Progression
211. Ustengrav
212. Questing Interlude 4
213. Drelas' Cottage
214. Rannveig's Fast
215. Cold Rock Pass
216. Eldersblood Peak
217. Talking Stone Camp
218. Lund's Hut
219. Bleakwind Bluff
220. Rorikstead
221. Serpent's Bluff Redoubt
222. Fort Sunguard
223. Gjukar's Monument
224. Swindler's Den
225. Broken Fang Cave
226. Questing Interlude 5
227. Lost Valley Redoubt
228. Cradle Stone Tower
229. Bard's Leap Summit
230. Gloomreach
231. Valthume
232. Arkngthamz
233. Dushnikh Yal
234. Reachwind Eyrie
235. Old Hroldan
236. Soljund's Sinkhole
237. Karthspire Camp
238. Four Skull Lookout
239. Red Eagle Redoubt
240. Sundered Towers
241. Rebel's Cairn
242. Salvius Farm
243. Left Hand Mine
244. Markarth
245. Nchuand-Zel
246. Cidhna Mine
247. Questing Interlude 6
248. Raldbthar
249. Reachcliff Cave
250. Purewater Run
251. Hag Rock Redoubt
252. Dead Crone Rock
253. Ragnvald
254. Kolskeggr Mine
255. The Lover Stone
256. Blind Cliff Cave
257. Karthwasten
258. Shrine to Peryite
259. Dragontooth Crater
260. Bthardamz
261. Deep Folk Crossing
262. Druadach Redoubt
263. Harmugstahl
264. Bruca's Leap Redoubt
265. Dragon Bridge Overlook
266. Chillwind Depths
267. Cliffside Retreat
268. Liar's Retreat
269. Broken Tower Redoubt
270. Robber's Gorge
271. Orotheim
272. Crabber's Shanty
273. Brood Cavern
274. Fort Snowhawk
275. Meeko's Shack
276. The Apprentice Stone
277. Morthal
278. Movarth's Lair
279. Questing Interlude 7
280. Volunruud
281. Kjenstag Ruins
282. Hjaalmarch Stormcloak Camp
283. Windstad Manor
284. High Gate Ruins
285. Pale Imperial Camp
286. Wreck of the Brinehammer
287. Folgunthur
288. Geirmund's Hall
289. Reachwater Rock
290. Mor Khazgur
291. Deepwood Redoubt
292. Volskygge
293. Pinefrost Tower
294. Rimerock Burrow
295. Lost Echo Cave
296. Steepfall Burrow
297. Orphan's Tear
298. Northwatch Keep
299. Icewater Jetty
300. Dimhollow Crypt
301. Clearpine Pond
302. Statue to Meridia
303. Dragon Bridge
304. Forebear's Holdout
305. Castle Volkihar
306. Septimus Signus's Outpost
307. Alftand
308. Blackreach/Tower of Mzark
309. Ruunwald Exploration (Dawnguard)
310. Ancestor's Glade (Dawnguard)
311. Darkfall Cave (Dawnguard)
312. Castle Volkihar (Dawnguard Finale)
313. Katla's Farm
314. Solitude Sawmill
315. East Empire Company Warehouse
316. Solitude
317. Solitude Lighthouse
318. Questing Interlude 8 (Dark Brotherhood)
319. Questing Interlude 9 (Thieves Guild)
320. Snow Veil Sanctum
321. Irkngthand
322. Twilight Sepulcher
323. Yngvild
324. Hela's Folly
325. Dead Men's Respite
326. Wreck of the Icerunner
327. Fort Hraggstad
328. Wolfskull Cave
329. The Steed Stone
330. Ironback Hideout
331. Widow's Watch Ruins
332. Ravenscar Hollow
333. Shadowgreen Cavern
334. Broken Oar Grotto
335. Questing Interlude 10
336. Civil War part 1
337. Korvanjund
338. Battle for Whiterun
339. Main Quest Progression
340. Tolvald's Cave
341. Sky Haven Temple
342. Skuldafn
VIII. Version history
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I. Introduction
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This guide is mostly for people who have not yet ventured into a game of this
type, with it's rather massive size and scope, not to mention this horribly
confusing open-world free will thing.
Now, the first rule of Skyrim is: You can do anything exactly the way you want
to. Meaning that this guide will probably not be useful to all of you, as it
attempts to remove the "go where you want" factor in favour for a more
structured approach.
Me? I like to explore and see everything, but I like to do it in a rather
organized fashion. Unfortunately, there's no guide out there that provides a
full-on step-by-step walkthrough to see as much as possible in a single
playthrough. Thus, I have decided to create one.
One of the challenges is the radiant quest system. There's simply no way
of telling which quests you get and where you're sent. For that reason, it's
virtually impossible to cover all places and areas that you could be sent to
explore and/or clear for a quest. Thus, in this walkthrough, I will basically
ignore radiant quests as such, except mentioning that this would be a good time
to gather them up etc. Static quests will be covered as I go along, however.
This will include daedric quests, the guilds and sidequests etc, as much as can
be done in a single playthrough.
This guide is not meant to be used as an end-all be-all guide to all things
Skyrim, but rather as a numbered tour map. I am not going to tell you exactly
where all secrets are and how to find your way in any given dungeon - that would
simply be too many details. There are other resources out there that provide
this level of detail for those who want that.
The way I go about things is natural progression, while avoiding any location
that might break/bug if you go there before you have a specific quest. If at all
possible, I also try to avoid going to the same location twice. Obviously, with
radiant quests, that may not always be doable, but I do my best at least.
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II. Legal stuff
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This document was written by Rune Hansen. Please do not post it, copy it
or any other of all those copyright thingies (bear with me here, you all
know what it's supposed to say, but legal english and me is not a good match).
Latest version of this walkthrough is available at www.gamefaqs.com, which is
also at this point the only site allowed to host this document.
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III. Mods
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Note that as I am a PC player, I play with mods. I play with about 30-35 mods
activated, most of which are either bugfixes or graphical updates. None of the
mods I have activated should change the core game in any massive way, but this
is one other reason for me to not go into loot/gear specific details, as I have
added a few mods that add and change gear as well as level ranges and loot
tables of NPCs.
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IV. About the walkthrough
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What this walkthrough will NOT cover:
- Note that I will NOT be progressing the main quest very far early on as I
prefer exploring without random dragons spawning. If you want dragons, this may
not be the right guide for you.
- character builds & combat tactics. There are other resources that cover this
perfectly so I see no point in repeating their suggestions.
- Detailed quest descriptions. Again, other walkthroughs provide these things
in fine details.
- Description of how to get to specific places unless they are not on any
useful online map resource. The UESP Google API map is so good that you won't
need any specifics, and the guide will expect that you use that map.
- How to find every single ore vein. Use the UESPmap for this. I will mention
them when they assist in directions, but otherwise no.
- I will not, at this point, cover the Dragonborn DLC as I do not own this yet.
What this walkthrough WILL do:
- Provide an easy-to-use reference list of when to go where. Note that this is
purely my own suggestion based on my own playing and research of each location.
- I will mention important loot at each location, if there is any. Note that
most loot is levelled so there won't be all that many details, but anything that
is interesting and static will be mentioned.
- I will mention locations/things from the Hearthfire and Dawnguard DLCs as I
own these two.
- I will, according to plan, go everywhere and do everything. There are
apparently 363 "discoverable" locations in Skyrim, including Hearthfire and
Dawnguard (343 without the two DLCs). We will visit all of them.
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V. General tips
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- Don't use the XP enhancing stones. Levelling is quite fast in Skyrim, and you
don't want to level up too fast, especially not if you're just starting out on
your first playthrough.
- Learn to not pick up everything. I find that for the early game a good rule
is to only pick up stuff that's worth 10 times as much as it weighs. As you
progress in power and wealth, you'll leave more and more loot behind as it's
simply not worth your time hauling it back. Unless you're a pack rat of course.
- Hoarding crafting materials, trophies, magic items, books etc is a good idea
since you'll want to use these for crafting and decorating your homes. This is
even more important if you have the Hearthfire expansion.
- Talk to everyone, especially bartenders. I cannot say which radiant quests
you will get in your playthrough, so make sure you at the very least speak with
the bartenders as they can provide a lot of rumours and suggestions. Preferably
speak with everybody - you never know what hides a quest or misc objective.
- Note that you can only get a skill-up once from each skill book. There are
several copies of most of them scattered around, so eventually you'll reach a
point where, even if I say it's a skill book, you won't actually gain skill due
to having already read that book. Game design, sorry :)
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VI. Items to save and look out for
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- (Hearthfire) Goat horns, glass, straw - for furniture in your homesteads.
- 10 bear pelts
- 1 Gold ore
- 2 Flawless Sapphire
- 1 Black-Briar Mead
- 1 Flawless Ruby
- 1 silver ingot
- 21 deathbell
- 1 vampire dust
- 2 mammoth tusk
- 10 fire salts
- 5 ice wraith teeth
- 20 jazbay grapes
- 3 flawless amethyst
- 1 troll fat
- 2 daedra heart
- 10 dwemer cogs
- 20 nightshade
- 20 nirnroot
- All Dragon Priest Masks - Keep the 8 named ones.
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VII. The Walkthrough
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The introduction sequence is a pretty linear tutorial and should provide no
challenges. From my perspective, the walkthrough will begin as you leave Helgen
and enter the massive, open world that is the northern lands of Skyrim.
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1. Guardian Stones/Riverwood
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Let's do the opposite of what your companion says and follow him to
Riverwood. We'll get the Guardian Stones and Riverwood locations on our map,
and for new players it's a good introduction to the world and the story.
Once you're all settled in with your new "foster family", head to the smith
and sell all the spare armor/weapons you can and get a pickaxe, then head back
to the cave entrance to Helgen. It's time to do a little exploration.
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2. Bandit Camp
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Let's start out by going west. Basically straight west from the cave entrance
and you'll soon come across some corundum ore (3 veins). A bit north of that
you will find a small bandit camp with 3 levelled bandits and some very nice
loot: [TREASURE MAP 1] and a [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK].
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3. Shrine of Talos
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A little further west from that, up against the mountainside, is a shrine
of Talos where you'll find a stack of corpses. Make sure to also loot the
sort of hidden Thalmor soldier.
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4. Standing Stones/Altar
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One tad further west, just north of where Lakeview Manor will eventually
be, you'll find a set of standing stones. Go here at night (use the "wait"
as an option, and you'll find a levelled mage who's not too happy to see
you. Kill, and loot. a [CONJURATION SKILL BOOK] is on the altar.
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5. Hunter Camp
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Fast travel back to the guardian stones and head west, towards the lake.
You'll soon see a hunter camp to your left. Unless you have a good RP
reason not to kill this guy, kill him and loot him and his camp for extra
goodies. Note that this should be your toughest enemy yet, so good training
for the future too.
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6. Anise's Cabin
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Time to get a home. Head north, across the lake and you should soon come
upon Anise's Cabin. She may seem all innocent, but she's actually an evil
witch. Take her out fast, and take over her little cabin as your new home.
Beside her bed is a trapdoor to a basement with both alchemy and enchanting
tables as well as several containers in which you can safely store any items
you don't want to sell. How you sort it and use it is all up to you.
Make sure you also check out the [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK] in the cabin.
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7. Riverwood
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Now let's head to Riverwood proper, as we need to unload our excess loot,
do a bit of questing and generally meet people. We are not fast travelling
there however. Follow the river east from Anise's Cabin towards Riverwood.
Very soon, you'll see a big fallen tree up on your left. Go up there and
look inside for a treasure chest with some goodies in it.
Now we can head to Riverwood. There are a few things to do in here:
- Chop wood at the lumber mill (if you need money).
- Get and complete "A Lovely Letter"
- Get the quest "The Golden Claw" from Lucan Valerius.
- If you haven't already, speak to Alvor or Gerdur for the main quest.
- Talk with Alvor while he is working to get a small crafting tutorial.
- Talk with the bartender about Alchemy for a small alchemy tutorial.
- Talk with the bartender about rumours several times.
- Give Embry some booze, if you want to. :P
I only have a small comment here. If you're not planning on actually using
followers, I would go with Faendal in the Lovely Letter quest. The reason?
He is an archery trainer, meaning that you should be able to get some free
archery training while he's your follower (simply grab the money back from
his inventory).
Otherwise, feel free to handle this quest however you see fit according to
your playing style and any RP concerns you may have.
Once done in Riverwood, make sure you're all cleared up inventory-wise and
head out to Embershard Mine for your first real dungeon delving adventure!
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8. Embershard Mine
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Head out to the mine, take out the sole bandit at the entrance, and step
inside. Note that there's lots of iron ore in the mine, as well as a [SMITHING
SKILL BOOK] and a [SPELL TOME: CLAIRVOYANCE] among the loot.
Note that the mine is, at least with my mods, very dark, even compared to all
the other underground places in Skyrim. Don't worry too much about it.
Once you're done (dungeon shows a visible "CLEARED" status under it's name)
and you have the loot you want etc, go do your thing, store/sell/restock, as
the next part is a big one.
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9. Bleak Falls Barrow
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It's time to head out for your first big quest dungeon. Completing this
dungeon will solve both the Golden Claw from Riverwood as well as the next
part of the main quest. However, there are a few small things to do on the
way to the dungeon itself, so let's fast go through those.
Follow the road as advised by the young lady - cross the bridge and head up
the path towards Bleak Falls Barrow. Just follow the road, should be quiet
enough to enjoy the view as well.
Eventually you'll come across a small tower structure, just before the big
ruin itself. Take your time to explore/clear the tower, there are some
bandits and a bit of loot here.
Move along, arrive at the temple proper and make sure you check the corners
for a few hidden treasures.
Once inside, explore everything, and make sure you don't miss the three key
loot items: [GOLDEN CLAW], [DRAGONSTONE] and [PICK-POCKET SKILL BOOK].
When you're done rummaging about in this place, head back to Riverwood to
hand over the Claw and sell/store your stuff. This marks the end of the
first little chapter of your explorations. It's time to start really
exploring!
Oh, for reference - my character was around level 6/7 at this point.
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10. Whiterun Farmlands
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The game basically tells you to go to Whiterun via the Main Quest, so let's
head northwards to the capital of the hold we're in. This will be your first
real city, and as such, there will be lots of things to do here. However, let's
do a teensy bit of exploring of neighborhood before we enter the city proper.
The first structure you'll come across by following the road will be the
Honningbrew Meadery, just before the crossroads. Hop over and get it on the
map, but for now there's not much we can do there.
Continue north, keeping Whiterun on your left to reach Chillfurrow Farm. Head
to the farmhouse and, while the guards aren't looking, pick your way inside for
a [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK]. For the lore fan, there's also lots of other books
in there.
Go further north to the next farm, the Battle-Born Farm. There isn't all that
much to do here, but if you want to try out being a farmhand, you're free to
help the Battle-Borns out a bit, in exchange for some coin, of course.
Get back to the Meadery and head west to the Pelagia Farm, where you'll run into
some of the Companions taking out a giant. No matter what, Aela will talk with
you afterwards, doing some advertisement for the Companions, which is basically
the Fighter's Guild of Skyrim.
Once you're done chatting, head north to the Whiterun Stables where you can do
two things: Buy a horse for 1000g and get a carriage to a remote city for 20g.
For the moment, we shall say no to both of these options and continue into
the city itself.
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11. Whiterun
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Seeing that Whiterun is somewhat larger than Riverwood, there's obviously also
somewhat more to do in the city, both major and minor things.
Upon entering, you'll hear a conversation between Adrianne and Idolaf. Once they
are done, have a chat with Adrianne. Make sure to ask her if she's busy at the
forge in order to start the misc quest "Greatsword for a Great Man".
Next up is the Drunken Huntsman. Pop inside, hop around the counter and locate
an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK] to read up on. Jenassa here can be recruited as a
follower, btw.
Outside again, next place of interest is the small marketplace. On the south
side we have the Belethor's Goods and Arcadia's Cauldron shops. In Belethor's
you can find a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK] on a shelf in the back, and in Arcadia's
backroom, there's an [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK].
Outside in the marketplace, you should be able to find Ysolda. Talk to her to
start a quest to find a mammoth tusk. Also speak with Carlotta Valentia about
men to start another small quest. Finally, once you've overheard the argument,
have a small chat with Fralia Gray-Mane to start the sidequest "Missing in
Action". We'll have a look at that a bit later.
Last up in the southern section of the town is the inn, the Bannered Mare. Now
before you enter, do one series of firewood chopping right outside. Also, find
Brenuin, the town drunkard, and start the misc quest "Argonian Ale Extraction".
Once done, go inside and sell the firewood to Hulda, the Innkeep. That makes
several items free to take, including the Argonian Ale bottle in the kitchen.
Be sure to empty Hulda for rumours, then go grab the Ale and give it to Brenuin
to finish the quest.
Now head back to the entrace (the Warmaiden), and go via that road up to the
next section of the city. The first house on the left is Carlotta Valentia's.
Sneak inside, upstairs and into the bedroom for an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] next
to the bed.
Across from Carlotta's (and a tiny bit north) is Amren's house. During daytime,
you might hear Amren and his wife discuss a small matter of a lost family sword.
Offer to help to get a radiant quest.
Also, in this area of the city, you might overhear a girl harassing a boy, Lars
Battle-Born. Talk to Lars afterwards to start the quest "Bullying Braith". Find
Braith, talk to her and get her to stop bullying Lars to finish the quest.
Now, let's have some action after all this chit-chat. Head up to the Halls of
the Dead and head inside. Talk with Andurs to find out that he lost his amulet
in the catacombs, and evil things seem to be down there now. Head inside, take
out the skeletons and loot the place dry for Andurs' Amulet, an [UNUSUAL GEM]
and a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK].
Now head to the temple of Kynareth and talk with Danica Pure-Spring to start
the sidequest "The Blessings of Nature". Also, head inside the temple, to the
little reading corner for a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK].
Just a little more to do before we're done. Head up to Dragonsreach and enter
the home of the Jarl of Whiterun, Balgruuf the Greater. Now here's where we need
to get a bit careful since we do NOT want to progress the main quest so far that
dragons start spawning as they keep interrupting our wonderful exploring and
whatnot. So, upon entering, move forward, up the stairs and off to the right
towards the mage area. The Jarl's bodyguard will automatically talk with you,
answer whatever you want. Now speak with Farengar - exhaust all the options to
start the misc quest "Salts for Arcadia". Head up to the Jarl now to progress
the main quest a little. Riverwood will get some guards now, and the Jarl will
move into Farengar's "office". This is where we leave the main quest. Turn
around and talk to Proventus - give him the sword from his daughter to finish up
that quest as well.
Head down to Arcadia and deliver the salts from Farengar to get that quest out
of our active journal.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to join our first guild.
-------------------------------------------------
12. Jorrvaskr/The Companions
-------------------------------------------------
Head on inside and find Kodlak (use the quest marker if you can't find him as
he's typically hiding in the living quarters section of the building). Ignore
all the possible loot for now, it'll be easier to grab in a bit.
Talk to Kodlak, follow Vilkas, hit Vilkas a few times with a non-magical weapon
(dont ever use magic on him), get his sword and move on up to the Sky-Forge
behind Jorrvaskr. Have a chat with Eorlund who'll give you your next task: Bring
a shield to Aela. Make sure to read the [SMITHING SKILL BOOK] at the forge.
Farkas will then show you to your quarters, and give you a radiant quest. Now
this is where it gets a bit difficult to explain what to do as this could be any
of 6 different tasks with many different target locations.
Here's how we're going to have to sort this - during the next round of exploring
you'll just have to sort out completing this radiant quest somehow. If you're
lucky, it's even in an easy-to-get-to location. Regardless, complete this quest
and return to Jorrvaskr. You'll get the quest "Proving Honor" from Skjor after
this, and that one is fortunately always in the same place. Talk to Farkas and
tell him that you'll meet him there.
With all this done, we're now officially members of the Companions, meaning that
a lot of stuff around the living quarters is now legal for us to grab. Since
we're in the Living quarters, let's start here by going through the place,
grabbing whatever you want. The stuff you shouldn't miss is:
[ELVEN BOW] and [ARHCERY SKILL BOOK] in the locked display case in Aela's room.
[TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK],a [GIANT'S TOE] and a [DAEDRA HEART] in the study where
you met Kodlak. In the bedroom, there's an [UNUSUAL GEM].
Back up in the mail hall, there's a few things about - most interesting to us
is the [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK] on a table close to the stairs down.
That's it for Jorrvaskr and the Companions for now. Of course, if you really
want to, you can continue this chain right away, but I'll do a few other things
first myself.
-------------------------------------------------
13. White River Watch
-------------------------------------------------
Right, let's get back to exploring dungeons and caves and general sightseeing,
shall we. Fast travel to the meadery just south of Whiterun, then hed east,
going over the bridge. Head straight east up the mountain and you'll arrive at
White River Watch. There's two bandit guards outside, so take them out however
you please, and head inside to clear out the place. Note that you need to exit
on the other side to take out the leader, Hajvarr Iron-Hand. He's carrying the
unique [IRONHAND GAUNTLETS], so make sure to loot him after he's taken out.
-------------------------------------------------
14. The Ritual Stone
-------------------------------------------------
Head back down the road going east from Whiterun and head up to the Ritual Stone
where you'll find a levelled Necromancer waiting for you. After taking him out,
hop down the hill on the west side to locate our next dungeon..
-------------------------------------------------
15. Graywinter Watch
-------------------------------------------------
Most likely this will be your first encounter with trolls. They are a right pain
let it be said. Take the two trolls out and explore the cave for two interesting
items: [FROKI'S BOW] and an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
16. Whiterun Stormcloak Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Head south from the Ritual Stone to locate this army camp. At this point we have
nothing to do here, so let's move along back to the road eastwards.
-------------------------------------------------
17. Guldun Rock
-------------------------------------------------
Soon you'll see a smaller road going south. Take that, and follow it to the
end to locate Guldun Rock, our first giant camp. Hint: Don't try to kill them.
They're big and strong and in some ways more dangerous than dragons. Just get it
on your map and move along back to the main road and our next bandit hideout.
-------------------------------------------------
18. Valtheim Towers
-------------------------------------------------
Another ruin beset by bandits. Kill 'em all, loot everything as per procedure.
Note that all the bandits are in the exterior terrain, and could be busy
hunting some wildlife. Be alert!
Of particular notice, there's an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK] on top of the northern
tower, as well as a chest that typically holds some magical items.
Once this is cleared out, get back to Whiterun, sell/restock/etc, then fast
travel to the Battle-Born farm - our next little circuit takes us north from
here.
Oh, and for reference - I was around level 10 at this point.
-------------------------------------------------
19. Whitewatch Tower
-------------------------------------------------
On arrival to the tower, there's either a fight going on, or it has recently
ended. Either way, take the bandits out and/or loot them. Head southwest from
here for a small detour into a bandit cave on the north-west side of the hill
upon which Dragonsreach is built. Two bandits guard the cave, but when you pick
the lock of the chest in there, three more will arrive - consider yourself
warned.
Once you're done looting, head back to the tower and head north up the road.
-------------------------------------------------
20. Loreius Farm
-------------------------------------------------
Just before you reach the farm, you'll encounter Cicero. Talk with him to start
the quest "Delayed Burial". Handle it however you see fit, then head up the hill
to the west of the farm to take out two poachers.
From there, keep heading west. Soon enough, on your left side you should find
yet another bandit-infested camp, the Halted Stream Camp.
-------------------------------------------------
21. Halted Stream Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Take out the 4 bandits outside, then clear out the inside of the mine. Plenty of
ore to be mined here, and also the [SPELL TOME: TRANSMUTE MINERAL ORE]. Make
sure you grab a [MAMMOTH TUSK] for Ysolda as well while you're here. Also make
your way through to the back entrance where you'll find a few coinpurses.
-------------------------------------------------
22. Silent Moon Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Going straight west from Halted Stream Camp, you'll very soon come across this
little camp of bandits. Follow the usual procedure, and check out the rather
special "Lunar Forge" in this camp. There are a few special weapons here, as
well as a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK]. Once done, head straight south from here
-------------------------------------------------
23. Bleakwind Basin
-------------------------------------------------
Yup, another giant camp. Don't engage unless you've been powerlevelling some
smithing and such. Anyway, this was just to get it on the map, basically, so
let's continue to the south-west from here.
-------------------------------------------------
24. Fort Greymoor
-------------------------------------------------
Soon you'll see a rather large fort. This is, obviously, in the control of a
gang of bandits. Let's clear it out. Be careful though, you do NOT want to kill
Agnis, the civilian-looking woman inside Fort Greymoor. Don't kill her.Trust me
on this. (or google the reason why :P)
Loot worth noting is a nice chest as well as a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK],
otherwise it's business as usual.
Note that the fort will NOT be getting the "cleared" status, even if you kill
all the bandits.
When everything's done, head out to the road, and follow it northwards.
-------------------------------------------------
25. Redoran's Retreat
-------------------------------------------------
Shortly after the bridge, you'll find Redoran's Retreat on your left side.
Once again, this is a bandit cave, so clear it out. Noteworthy loot includes
a [SNEAK SKILL BOOK] and [TREASURE MAP IV], once done, continue north on the
road.
-------------------------------------------------
26. Greenspring Hollow
-------------------------------------------------
Head north-west from Redoran's Retreat to locate the Greenspring Hollow, a
hunter hideout that's been taken over by hostile wildlife. Clear it out, and
grab whatever loot you want, then head back north-east.
-------------------------------------------------
27. Hamvir's Rest
-------------------------------------------------
You'll soon see Dustman's Cairn standing there, but let's head a tiny bit north
first, to Hamvir's Rest, where there's a few skeletons, a draugr and a bit of
loot to be found. (don't miss the magic helmet behind the bars!).
Now, before going to Dustman's Cairn, make sure that you're on this stage of the
Companions quest chain, and that Farkas is waiting for you here. Also, make sure
to restock and sell any and all surplus loot you have, as you'll want to be able
to carry a bit when in there. You can leave your pickaxe behind as well, if you
(as you should be) are carrying one of those with you. With that said, let's
head out.
-------------------------------------------------
28. Dustman's Cairn
-------------------------------------------------
Seeing that this is a rather spoilery dungeon, I'll avoid mentioning too many
details. Suffice to say that you'll be up against both humanoids and undead, and
there's quite a bit of loot to be had. Don't miss the [TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK] in
the entrance room, otherwise grab whatever you can and want.
Once done, head back to Winterun and become a proper fully-fledged member of the
Companions. Also hand in any radiant quests you have done, sell, restock and do
whatever else you need to do.
The Companions will offer you a new radiant quest. Again, this is completely
randomly decided, but go ahead and complete it now, no matter what. (Maybe
save and reload and talk to somebody else if you don't like the quest you got.)
Upon returning it and then asking for more work, you are asked to talk with
Skjor. Do that, and agree to meet him at the Underforge during night time.
We'll do that in a little bit, but first, let's progress another quest a
few steps. Go to House Gray-Mane and have a chat with the Gray-Manes. Your next
task is a bit sneaky, but complete it whichever way you see fit and return to
the Gray-Manes to get to the next step, which we'll do later on.
Head to Skjor at the Underforge to progress a bit with the Companions quest
chain. No spoilers, but if you want to continue this chain, you will eventually
end up outside...
-------------------------------------------------
29. Gallow's Rock
-------------------------------------------------
Right, the task is simple enough, kill them all. Proceed to do so, and make sure
you don't miss the [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK] and [SMITHING SKILL BOOK] inside the
place. Both are shortly after the werewolf prison section.
Note that Aela will give you a radiant quest when you speak with her after you
take out the Skinner. You need to complete this, and one more radiant quest, to
progress the Companions quest chain. When you do these radiant quests are fully
up to you. For me, the next one will take me somewhat far away, so I'll leave
the companions hanging for quite a while at this point.
Note that if my guide leads you to the place Aela mentions early on, feel free
to go hand it in right away, and get a second one, as we might pop by there as
well.
-------------------------------------------------
30. Cradlecrush Rock
-------------------------------------------------
Once done, let's do some small, fast exploring while we're all the way out here
in the middle of nowhere. From Gallow's Rock, go south-west, and you'll soon
find Cradlecrush Rock, another giant camp. From there, head straight east to the
lake to find a shrine of Talos. There's some pretty decent loot there, among
other things a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
31. Mixwater Mill
-------------------------------------------------
Continue south-east down the mountain to the road and Mixwater Mill. Sneak into
Gilfre's house to locate an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK].
At this point, let's go back to Whiterun to sell/restock/whatever it is you do
in your breaks between killing and looting people. It's time to turn our eyes
towards the south - my next circuit is rather big and will, eventually, take us
to Falkreath, our next little quest hub.
Oh, for reference - I was level 17 at this point.
-------------------------------------------------
32. Secunda's Kiss
-------------------------------------------------
First, fast-travel to Fort Greymoor, then head more or less straight south and
a tiny bit east to locate another giant camp, this one called Secunda's Kiss. As
usual, we don't want to mess with giants and mammoths just yet, so fast travel
back to the fort and go west.
-------------------------------------------------
33. Sleeping Tree Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Yup, Another giant camp. This is the last one for a while though, I promise.
From here, go straight south until you hit the mountain and find...
-------------------------------------------------
34. Bloated Man's Grotto
-------------------------------------------------
Yes, the charming place called Bloated Man's Grotto. Now, this will probably be
your first encounter with the Spriggan, the annoyingly stealthy tree-people that
will almost always get the jump on you. If you are built for pure stealth and
sneak attacks, you're probably going to be in trouble here. take it as a
learning experience - you can't rely purely on stealth the entire game anyway.
Important loot in here is [BOLAR'S OATHBLADE].
Once done, head back outside and follow the mountains east to find our next
little cave system.
-------------------------------------------------
35. North Brittleshin Pass
-------------------------------------------------
Now, the North and South Brittleshin Pass locations are connected by, you
guessed it, the Brittleshin pass cave system! Head on through to the other side,
killing all the evil undead and their necromancer as you go along.
Loot of particular note is a [CONJURATION SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
36. South Brittleshin Pass
-------------------------------------------------
Yup, I'm that tacky. When you exit Brittleshin Pass, you'll be looking out over
Lake Ilinalta. Not too far to the east from where you are now is your current
temporary home, Anise's Cabin. But, as we've already been there, let's go west
instead. You'll very soon discover Ilinalta's Deep, but turn south right away,
as we're not going to do more right now than simply get it on our map.
-------------------------------------------------
37. The Lady Stone
-------------------------------------------------
On the small island directly south of Ilinalta's Deep, you'll find your next
Guardian Stone - The Lady Stone. Feel free to grab that blessing if you prefer
the faster health and stamina regen over whatever bonus you have right now, then
head further south-west across the lake.
-------------------------------------------------
38. Half-Moon Mill
-------------------------------------------------
It's a sawmill. It's also a little bit suspect, but we'll get around to that
later on. For now, head on up to the road past it and go east. Soon enough you
will see a old watchtower to your right - go there.
-------------------------------------------------
39. Falkreath Watchtower
-------------------------------------------------
On top, another necromancer, and another [CONJURATION SKILL BOOK]. Once you're
done here, continue east on the road (not south just yet). Just a short way
after the crossing, you'll find a cave on your right.
-------------------------------------------------
40. North/South Shriekwind Bastion
-------------------------------------------------
A vampire nest, how exciting. Now there's a few small tricks to this place.
First of all, you'll find the exit to South Shriekwind Bastion (which you should
explore a bit, there's a few monsters and a chest there) before the end of the
actual dungeon. It's via a secret entrance in an alcove where you find some
levelled items on the floor, in the section before the fire trap. Also note that
there's a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK] at the same spot where the master vampire is
hanging out. Also, in the final area, you'll find a word wall!
-------------------------------------------------
41. Roadside Ruins
-------------------------------------------------
When you're done in Shriekwind, fast travel to the watchtower and head south on
the road. Very soon, you'll come across the Roadside Ruins. It's a small little
place with a single spriggan and an [ENCHANTMENT SKILL BOOK].
Continue following the road as it turns east until you reach Falkreath.
-------------------------------------------------
42. Falkreath
-------------------------------------------------
So, we have arrived at our third city after Riverwood and Whiterun - Falkreath.
As you arrive, a guard will mention that the local smith is looking for a dog.
Once inside, turn left and head straight for the cemetary. Talk to Ruril to
start a radiant quest, and to Mathies to start the Daedric quest "Ill Met By
Moonlight". Head into the town proper and speak with Lod the smith to start the
Daedric quest "A Daedra's Best Friend".
Head to the inn to (hopefully) locate Dengeir and start a radiant quest. Also
speak to Thadgeir to get another small quest to deliver some ashes to Runil the
priest - if you're lucky, Runil's also in the tavern, making that quest rather
easy. Talk to the innkeep about rumours to start another two radiant quests.
Continue into the Jarl's Longhouse and speak with Jarl Siddgeir for one more
radiant quest (pay attention to this one), then sneak into Lod's house to steal
the private letter and return to Dengeir to get another quest.
One final quest-related thing to do before we can start out on our next little
road trip - head just outside town to find this dog everybody's talking about.
Have a chat, and agree to take the dog there. Don't follow him right now though,
we'll get there eventually. Don't worry, Barbas is immortal, in a way, so he'll
get to where he needs to be just fine.
So, on this next circuit, there's one thing you need to do. You need to make
sure that you complete the radiant quest you got from Jarl Siddgeir.
-------------------------------------------------
43. Evergreen Grove
-------------------------------------------------
Right, let's get started then. Fast travel to the watchtower and head west to
Evergreen Grove. Three spriggans guard the corpse of an alchemist and an
[ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK]. Head upstream just a few steps to find the alchemist's
temporary camp along with a second [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK] and some nirnroot.
-------------------------------------------------
44. Bannermist Tower
-------------------------------------------------
From the grove, head northwest to Bannermist Tower, yet another bandit hideout.
Clear it out, and make sure to grab the [LOCKPICKING SKILL BOOK], then continue
north.
-------------------------------------------------
45. Hunter's Rest
-------------------------------------------------
Heading north from the Bannermist Tower, you'll soon come upon a small cabin,
the Hunter's Rest. There are a few hunters here who'll trade a bit, but the most
important thing is an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK]. Head north from here when done.
-------------------------------------------------
46. Moss Mother Cavern
-------------------------------------------------
Just north of Hunter's Rest, over the hill, you'll find Moss Mother Cavern and
the hunter Valdr. He needs help clearing out some spriggans, so feel free to
either say you'll help, or that you'll do it alone. With or without Valdr, head
inside, clear it out and loot what you want. Make sure you find the chest all
the way in the back, and the loot beside the chest as well.
-------------------------------------------------
47. Sunderstone Gorge
-------------------------------------------------
Head straight west down the mountain from Moss Mother Cavern, and follow the
mountain north. You'll come to Sunderstone Gorge, a heavily trapped den of evil
mages. Time to get some practice killing casters, clear it out, and make sure
you loot the [UNUSUAL GEM] at the world wall. Also make sure you read the book
"The Legend of Red Eagle", located in the alchemy lab behind the bars.
When outside, head straight west to find a lonely hunter's camp, then follow the
road south and west to reach Bilegulch Mine.
-------------------------------------------------
48. Bilegulch Mine
-------------------------------------------------
There are a couple of bandits outside, so dispatch of them and loot the place
dry, then head inside to do the same there. You'll find a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK]
inside, but not that much else of particular interest.
When done clearing out the place, fast travel to Bannermist Tower and head west
from there
-------------------------------------------------
49. Knifepoint Ridge
-------------------------------------------------
Another bandit hideout. Don't miss the [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK] in the outside area
before heading inside to clear that area as well.
Once you're done here, head back to Falkreath to restock, unload loot and do
your thing. Hand in any completed radiant quests. Now, remember how I told you
to make sure you completed the radiant quest from Jarl Siddgeir? Go hand that in
to get a follow-up quest to help the people of Falkreath.
Also, at this point, if you have Hearthfire, you will be able to buy the
Lakeview Manor plot of land from the Jarl's Steward. If you're anything like me,
you'll want to get started on that right away, but since it's an optional DLC,
I won't cover it in too much detail in this walkthrough.
Suffice to say that you'll want to spend some time and money on turning your
plot of land into a proper, real house. It's up to you when to do this, though,
as you will almost certainly gain some smithing skill in the process.
Anyhow, once you've done all you want to do with regards to handing in quests,
shopping, storing and possibly playing around with Lakeview Manor, it's time to
get our butts back out on the road. Fast travel to Falkreath if you're not
already there, then follow the road east.
-------------------------------------------------
50. Peak's Shade Tower
-------------------------------------------------
You'll soon see an old ruined tower, go there, kill the Spriggans, loot the
chest and move along to the east. You'll come across a bridge manned by two evil
bandits, so take them out and move a bit further along the road until you find a
mountain road going south, head down that road. It'll take some twists and turns
and be a bit hard to follow, but keep at it.
-------------------------------------------------
51. Ancestor Glade (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
For those of you with the Dawnguard DLC, you'll eventuallycome upon this place.
There's not much we can do here just yet, but now we have it on the map at
least. Keep following the mountain road south/west.
-------------------------------------------------
52. Angi's Camp
-------------------------------------------------
You'll soon come upon a sideroad going west. Take that road to find Angi and her
cabin. Now, Angi is a bit of a character, and she's rather useful actually.
First of all, the [TREASURE MAP V] is in her cabin, as well as an [ARCHERY SKILL
BOOK].
Secondly, she can train you in archery. Note that you'll get some easy skill ups
by doing this, so it's up to you if you want to do it now, or wait till your
archery skill is higher and get a bigger timesaving benefit out of it.
Whatever you decide, once you're all done, head back to the "main" road and
follow it east till you find the Bloodlet Throne.
-------------------------------------------------
53. Bloodlet Throne
-------------------------------------------------
Hope you brought your undead-slaying face since this place is a vampire hideout.
Inside, you will find Dengeir's forefather, an [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK] and various
loot. Clear out this evil place. Also check on top of the tower outside for some
random goodies.
Once done, follow the road going east until you reach a larger road. Keep
following that one eastwards too.
-------------------------------------------------
54. Southfringe Sanctum
-------------------------------------------------
When the road turns south, keep going east (Yup, we're going off-road). Very
soon you'll find Southfringe Sanctum. Now, this is a hideout for evil mages, so
take the necessary precautions for that sort of thing. Also note that the leader
Bashnag is carrying a [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK]. Also, at the end of the spider
section, there's a trapped woman. Free her, and hopefully your quest won't bug.
If it does, which it apparently almost always does, there are several solutions
online, among others using shouts to get her to move and whatnot.
-------------------------------------------------
55. Fort Neugrad
-------------------------------------------------
From Southfringe Sanctum, go back to the main road and follow it west, then
north and finally east until you reach Fort Neugrad. The fort is at this point
obviously a bandit hideout, so go ahead and clear it out. Be mindful, there's a
pretty strong mage named Brandish inside as well as a bandit chieftain. Make
sure you go through the tower exit, as there's some loot, including a [TREASURE
MAP] up on the tower. Also go grab the treasure the map points to while you're
here.
-------------------------------------------------
56. Greywater Grotto
-------------------------------------------------
From the fort, head back to the big road, then west. Take the road going north
when that arrives, and follow that. When the road turns sharply back east, keep
going west to locate Greywater Grotto, a cave with levelled wildlife (could be
anything really, for me it was some snowy sabretooth tigers and some wolves).
Loot what you want, then head back outside. To the south you should see Helgen,
the city we started in. If you look closely, you should be able to see a guard
running around on top of a tower down there - seems bandits have taken over.
-------------------------------------------------
57. Helgen
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Helgen. We want to go through the city, so we come out on the
west side. Take out whichever bandits are in the way, and whoever else you're
in the mood for killing. There's also bandits inside in the "tutorial" dungeon,
but they're strictly optional - our primary goal is to be on the west side of
Helgen.
Once there, simply follow the road for a bit. When you're roughly half way to
your house at Lakeview Manor, there'll be a small bandit camp with a [LIGHT
ARMOR SKILL BOOK] on your left side. From this camp, go straight south, towards
the mountains.
-------------------------------------------------
58. Bonechill Passage
-------------------------------------------------
Going south from the bandit camp, you'll soon find a small house. Under the bed
inside is a [PICPOCKET SKILL BOOK]. On the desk, a note about how a dragon has
been flying around. Anyhow, follow the path south from the house, and you'll
come upon Bonechill Passage.
Another wildlife den, but head on through. Inside there's a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL
BOOK] as well as some rather challenging levelled wildlife.
-------------------------------------------------
59. Ancient's Ascent
-------------------------------------------------
Now, if we had activated the dragons already, there would be a dragon hanging
out around here - the same one who killed the people at the shack just before.
However, we haven't, so there's only some levelled wildlife around, so take
those out and grab the word wall to mark the end of this little mountain trek.
Head on back to your home and city to restock/stash/craft/sell/whatever it is
you do between circuits.
Our next trek starts at Helgen, so once you're ready, fast travel there.
-------------------------------------------------
60. Orphan Rock
-------------------------------------------------
Right, after this little break, time to get going again. Head east on the road
from Helgen, and when you find a small road going north, turn up that one to
find Orphan Rock, the home of some witches and hargravens. This will be a new
kind of challenge, but you should definitely be able to handle it at this point.
Most important loot here is the unique dagger [NETTLEBANE] used for the quest
about the dead tree we started back in Whiterun. Note that we will not at this
point return this quest as there are some complications we'd rather avoid right
now.
-------------------------------------------------
61. Falkreath Stormcloak Camp
-------------------------------------------------
From Orphan Rock, head back to the road south and continue east. Soon, up on
your left, you'll see some horses and such. Go there to locate this Stormcloak
camp. There's not much to do here at the moment, so go back to the road and
continue further east.
-------------------------------------------------
62. Haemar's Shame
-------------------------------------------------
It's time to go see a Daedra about a dog. Head inside Haemar's Cavern when you
come upon it on the road, and clear out the place. Note the [DESTRUCTION SKILL
BOOK] not too far away from the entrance to Haemar's Shame.
Have a chat with Clavicus and Barbas, then agree to locate the axe. Barbas will
now count as a follower, but I suggest telling him to wait. He's a deeply
annoying follower, especially for stealthy characters. If he gets tired of
waiting, he should return to the shrine here.
-------------------------------------------------
63. Alchemist's Shack
-------------------------------------------------
When out of Haemar's, take the road further to the east. It's a bit of a trek,
but eventually the snow will start fading, and shortly after, there'll be a
small shack on the left side of the road. Loot whatever you want, then continue
east.
-------------------------------------------------
64. Rift Imperial Camp
-------------------------------------------------
As soon as you can, turn and follow the mountains south to locate this army
camp. As with all the others, no action here just yet, but continue to follow
the mountains southwards.
-------------------------------------------------
65. Arcwind Point
-------------------------------------------------
From the Imperial Camp, head into the mountains, following the small path you
should be able to see. It'll twist and turn a bit, but eventually it will lead
you to Arcwind Point. Undeads guard the place that has a word wall (if you have
Dawnguard) and a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK] as notable loot. Clear it out and head
east down the mountains.
-------------------------------------------------
66. Autumnwatch Tower
-------------------------------------------------
You'll soon come upon this place. Had you activated dragons, a dragon would be
hanging out here, but for now there's only bandits to kill, so go do your thing.
Important loot is a word wall and a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
67. Froki's Shack
-------------------------------------------------
Heading east from Autumnwatch, you'll soon come upon Froki's little home. Now
Froki will give you a quest! Also, he has an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK] lying around.
The quest we'll get around to, but make sure you take it at least.
Heading south from the shack leads you to a shrine of Talos with some random
loot.
-------------------------------------------------
68. Ruins of Bthalft
-------------------------------------------------
Going basically straight north from Froki (well, around the mountain), you'll
wind up finding your first Dwemer ruins - the Ruins of Bthalft. There are some
bandits around, but at this point we can't do much more here, so carry on
north/north-west.
-------------------------------------------------
69. Honeystrand Cave
-------------------------------------------------
This is a small bear den with lots of bee activity. Loot what you want, taking
care not to miss the [LOCKPICKING SKILL BOOK] on the bandit corpse, then head
north to our next little village/questhub, Ivarstead.
-------------------------------------------------
70. Ivarstead
-------------------------------------------------
Now, Ivarstead is about the size of Riverwood, so don't go expecting any massive
amount of quests and tasks, but it is a village we will visit a few times during
our travels in Skyrim.
There are a few things we can do here, however, so let's get this party started.
Firstly, locate Narfi and talk with him, then do what any sensible newcomer to a
village would do - hit the pub and hear the rumours from the barkeep.
Inside, chat with the bartender as well as with Temba Wide-Arm to start a few
misc quests. Hopefully you already have the bear pelts, so if you're so inclined
fast travel back to where you stored them and go hand in that quest right away.
After that, follow the quest marker to Rayda's body to find her necklace, then
return it to Narfi.
Now, head slightly east of Ivarstead to the barrow, as we've offered to
investigate this haunting thing.
-------------------------------------------------
71. Shroud Hearth Barrow
-------------------------------------------------
Head on through this heavily booby-trapped place. Make sure to grab the
[ILLUSION SKILL BOOK] early on. You'll end up finding a door that looks
strangely similar to the one we saw way back in Bleak Falls Barrow, only this
time we don't have a claw. Take out Wyndelius, loot his journal and return to
Wilhelm the bartender to hand in the quest, then head on in to the deeper parts
of the barrow.
It's undead-slaying time, so go on through this horribly spooky dungeon. There
are plenty of nasty surprises along the way, so watch your step. In the end you
are rewarded with another power word.
Once done, head back to Ivarstead and go to the northern bridge, where you will
meet Klimmek. Talk to him to get a quest to deliver some goods to High
Hrothgar. Now, the main quest will eventually take us there, but I figure now's
as good a time as any to take the journey there and get it on the map for fast
travel purposes later on, so prepare for a long walk. 7000 steps and all that.
However, first, there's a small cave on the other side of the bridge. Turn right
just as you cross to find Pinepeak Cavern.
-------------------------------------------------
72. Pinepeak Cavern
-------------------------------------------------
A few bears rummage about this cavern, and inside there's a [SMITHING SKILL
BOOK] to loot, otherwise the place is rather forgettable.
-------------------------------------------------
73. High Hrothgar
-------------------------------------------------
Take the many, many steps up to High Hrothgar to deliver Klimmek's goods. On the
way, you'll encounter several enemies, usually levelled wildlife (wolves, frost
trolls, ice wraiths etc). There's also several tablets to read on the way for
lore buffs.
Once you arrive at High Hrothgar, leave Klimmek's goods in the chest, and head
back down to Ivarstead for a decent reward.
Our next major target is the city of Riften, but we'll take a few detours along
the way.
-------------------------------------------------
74. Nilheim
-------------------------------------------------
Head to the Shroud Hearth Burrow, then head east, staying on the north side of
Lake Geir. You'll soon see a tower just about where the lake ends. Now, this
tower is inhabited by "guards", but don't be fooled, they really are bandits in
disguise. Take out every last one of them and clear out the tower for whatever
you want. Once done, head down the road to the east and cross the bridge.
Sitting next to the bridge, you'll find Telrav. Offer to help him and escort
him back to Nilheim, where he'll be amazed that his gang is all dead, and attack
you himself. Take him out.
-------------------------------------------------
75. Sarethi Farm
-------------------------------------------------
From the tower, follow the road south. You'll see a farm ahead of you soon, but
before we go there, keep following the road south. Shortly before the bridge,
you'll find a small camp on your right. Go in there, and find the note on the
barrel, then head down to the small island just across from the boat. Two
treasure hunters will turn hostile when you get close, so take them out however
you please, then loot the island.
Continue south to the bridge to find some drunked revellers - share a drink with
them, and one will give you a magic item as thanks for being a nice person.
Now we can head to the actual farm. Go talk to Avrusa to start a quest to locate
20 Jazbay grapes.
-------------------------------------------------
76. Treva's Watch
-------------------------------------------------
From Sarethi's, head south up the hill, and you'll very soon see a keep. Make
sure you go down the hill on the east (left) side of the hill. You should spot
a small camp with some people - head down there and have a chat with Stalleo
to start the quest "Infiltration". Take on the quest right away, and sneak in
via the back door. Go clear out the place, and make sure you find the
[ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] in the top room of the tower. Once all the baddies are
gone, talk to Stalleo again to complete the quest.
-------------------------------------------------
77. Rift Watchtower
-------------------------------------------------
From Treva's Watch, or rather the camp where you met Stalleo, head north and a
bit east to find the Rift Watchtower, another bandit-overrun place. Take them
all out, and on top of the tower find a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK] and a levelled
chest.
-------------------------------------------------
78. Clearspring Tarn
-------------------------------------------------
Going northeast from the watchtower, you'll come across this small mountain
lake. There's not all that much to see here, but very close to the tarn itself,
you will find an entrance to Clearspring Cave. Follow the path from tarn around
the mountainside to find it.
Head inside, kill the troll inhabitant and make sure to loot the [ARCHERY SKILL
BOOK] and the unique [BOW OF THE HUNT] inside.
-------------------------------------------------
79. Boulderfall Cave
-------------------------------------------------
From the tarn, follow the small road going east. Soon enough, the road will turn
south and split up, one going up a mountainside and the other continuing east.
Just a few steps up the mountain, you should be able to see an NPC standing
about. That, my friends, is an apprentice necromancer, so take him out and head
inside where you will face the master. This fight might be a challenging one if
you're not all that good against magic, but it should be doable. Among the loot
you will find an [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
80. Fort Greenwall
-------------------------------------------------
From Boulderfall head straight east to find this fort. Like with all other
forts, it's taken by bandits until you arrive and clean 'em out. Make sure not
to miss looting the captain's quarters for a nice chest and a [ONE-HANDED SKILL
BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
81. Merryfair Farm
-------------------------------------------------
From the rather large fort, follow the road south-east. Just before you enter
Riften, there's a small road going west. Follow that to it's western end to find
the Merryfair Farm. Have a chat with Dravin to start a quest. Note that it is
possible that Dravin is dead, either to wildlife or to dragons - in that case
there is no way to start the quest. Blame the radiant system.
-------------------------------------------------
82. Riften
-------------------------------------------------
Anyhow, whatever you find at Merryfair, head into Riften. Now, this is a pretty
big city compared to what we've seen so far, and there are quite a lot of things
to do here.
First of all, head a few steps down the road, then have a nice long chat with
Maul. Make sure to ask all the questions you have.
If you're over level 14, you can also get a quest from Mjoll the Lioness to
fetch her blade in a dwemer ruin.
Going forward, you'll hear a chat between Sapphire and Shadr on the bridge. Once
it's done, talk with Shadr to start a misc quest. Feel free to complete it right
away, should be doable if you're fast.
Head down the stairs and into Beggar's Row. Go straight ahead to find a [SPEECH
SKILL BOOK], then head across the road to the Elixir shop. Have a chat with both
Ingun and Hafjorg to start two misc quests.
Head back upstairs to Haelga's Bunkhouse. Have a chat with Svana Far-Shield to
start a quest, and if you're lucky, you'll also find Madesi and Brand-Shei in
there - talk with both to start their quests. Also speak with Wujeeta and give
her a healing potion to start a sidequest. Make sure you speak with her after
and ask her where she gets her skooma - this is important.
Cross the bridge and enter the Bee and Barb and speak with Talen-Jei to start
another quest. Also make sure to speak with Louis to accept a quest from him.
If Bolli's there, grab a quest from him as well, otherwise do it when we find
him later on (just remember it).
Go into the Black-Briar Meadery and chat with Romlyn to starta misc quest. Go
out the back door and down to the fishery on the dock and find
From-Deepest-Fathoms to, you guessed it, start a quest! Head back into the city
and down to the Scorched Hammer, the smithy, and talk with him to start yet
another misc quest.
At the marketplace, you might also run into Brynjolf, which will initiate a
quest. Do this quest, especially if you want to become a member of the Thieves
Guild (which you do, we're completionists here, remember?). He'll give you
another quest after starting this one, so grab that, and head over to the Temple
of Mara and speak with Dinya to start one more misc quest.
NOTE:You can also buy an amulet of mara here, which will allow you to get
married. The choice is yours, basically, but it seems that two popular choices
are Camilla from Riverwood and Ysolde from Winterun as they don't serve any
other purpose and, apparently, are quite hot. Regardless, I won't mention it
again since it's purely optional to do and there are so many choices for
marriage.
Also visit the Hall of the dead and talk with Alessandria for one more quest.
Head up to the keep and go left before entering to speak with Harrald for yet
another misc quest - this one should be doable relatively fast though. Go inside
and speak with Wylandria for another quest, then talk with Jarl Laila herself
about skooma.
Back outside, head into the jail (you may have to sneak around the guard) and
talk with Sibbi Black-Briar to start one more misc quest (as if we didn't have
enough to do). Also make sure to speak with him about Frost to progress that
quest.
-------------------------------------------------
83. Questing Interlude 1
-------------------------------------------------
We're all done gathering up quests from Riften. Now, at this point our journal
is pretty full of all sorts of things. Companions quest, Daedric quests,
sidequests and lots of miscellaneous.
We've also reached a point where we should be pretty strong (I was level 26 at
this point) and reasonably well-geared and stocked with what we need.
We've also discovered quite a few places, so let's at the very least clear out
the quests we can clear out without going to new places, shall we?
First of all, locate Indaryn, Hofgrir and Bolli and persuade/intimidate them to
give up their marks, then show them to Haelga. Talk to Svana for your reward.
Now, we have a few simple gathering & delivery quests as well. So let's handle
these fast. First, head to Ivarstead. First, go to the Fellstar Farm, talk with
Falstread and, inside, grab Wylandria's spoon. Then head to the inn to deliver
the keg to Wilhelm. Handle the love triangle as you see fit. Also make sure to
speak with the bard there, Lynly is actually Svini, the girl Sibbi wanted us to
find. Handle this as you please.
Now head to the hall of the dead in Whiterun and deliver the dagger. Then head
to your home, or whereever you stash stuff you might need later on to gather
whatever you have of the following items: 1 gold ore, 3 flawless amethysts, 2
flawless sapphires, 1 mammoth tusk, 20 deathbell, 20 nirnroot, 20 nightshade and
10 fire salts. If you're missing some, remember it for later - doesn't matter
too much when you hand these quests in as there are no follow-ups.
Since we're so busy handling quests, let's do a fast detour to Falkreath to
finish up a loose end. In Falkreath, head to the jail and speak with Sinding.
Accept his quest and take the cursed ring of Hircine, then head out to the wild
and kill the white stag to speak with Hircine. Go straight for Bloated Man's
Grotto. Now, there are three ways to complete this quest.
1. Help Sinding against the hunters for the [RING OF HIRCINE]
2. Help the hunters against Sinding for the [SAVIOUR'S HIDE]
3. First help Sinding and get the ring, then head back inside and kill Sinding
for the hide.
Obviously, as the lootwhore I am, I go for option number 3.
Now, back to Riften, hand in whatever quests you can, then mark "Taking care of
business" as your active quest. Yup, it's time to become a member of the thieves
guild!
-------------------------------------------------
84. The Ratway & the Ragged Flagon
-------------------------------------------------
Head down the steps near the keep and enter the Ratway. There'll be a few
enemies along the way to the Ragged Flagon, but nothing you shouldn't be able
to handle by now. Just before the entrance to the Flagon is a [PICKPOCKET SKILL
BOOK] on a table.
Head on inside and speak with Brynjolf to get your primary initiation quest,
getting some coin from three shopkeepers. Handle it, then return, and you are
now officially a full member of the Skyrim Thieves Guild. Remember to take down
the drawbridge so the Ratway is a bit faster to get through in the future.
You'll get your next mission right away, but make sure you talk to everyone in
the Rugged Flagon first. Delvin will provide you some backstory as well as a
random job. Speak with Galathil to finally get rid of the face sculptor misc
quest you've most likely had since Riverwood. Speak with Vex to figure out what
these unusual gems are all about as well as getting another sidejob. Also speak
with Tonilia to get your Thieves Guild armor. Head into the training area in the
cistern to locate a second set of these. Note that you will need one full set of
Thieves Guild Armor to finish this chain. I suggest to take it to your house and
leave one set there, and do NOT modify it. The second set you can do with as you
please.
Now, the Thieves Guild is a bit unique in that the radiant sidejobs you get from
Vex and Delvin are actually very important in the big picture. You need to do
five of these jobs in each of these four cities: Markarth, Solitude, Whiterun
and Windhelm. The best way to do that is to save just after accepting the quest,
but before it shows which city you are to go to. That way you can reload so you
get the city you want. I'm not going to care too much about these just yet, as
we have lots of time to do them. Just keep them in mind, and keep a tally on how
many you have done in each city. Once you reach five in a given city, you will
get a unique job that will cement the guild's position in that city. I will
cover those unique jobs at the last possible time to do them.
NOTE: You can also get jobs in Riften. Don't waste your time with those unless
you really want to. They serve no larger purpose as such.
Anyhow, once you're all set with your new gear and having stored/sold/etc, let's
head out for our next circuit, which will lead to the completion of the
Companions quest chain as well as progressing the Thieves Guild chain.
-------------------------------------------------
85. Autumnshade Clearing
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Merryfair Farm, then head west. Just before finding the clearing
you'll find a small hunter's camp. In one of the tents is an [ARCHERY SKILL
BOOK]. Continue west to the clearing proper and take out the wildlife there.
Head a bit north from the clearing to find a small ruin with a [RESTORATION
SKILL BOOK] and some dwemer scrap metal that can be smelted into dwarven ingots.
-------------------------------------------------
86. Faldar's Tooth
-------------------------------------------------
Another bandit fort. This one is a bit special in that you don't actually have
to clear the inside. We want to, of course, as inside there's, among other nice
things, an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK]. Also, in the big tower outside, there's both
a [LOCKPICKING SKILL BOOK] and an [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK]. Also note that from
the chiefs viewpoint, you can see both Riften as well as the Goldenglow Estate
to your west/south-west and the Darklight Tower to your south.
NOTE - at this point I had completed two radiant quests for the Companions,
meaning that I got a new static quest, Blood's Honor. Before we go and do that,
however, follow the road west from Faldar's Tooth, then cross the bridge.
-------------------------------------------------
87. Heartwood Mill
-------------------------------------------------
Just after the bridge, you'll find this sawmill. Have a chat with Grosta to
start a misc quest. The main reason we went here though is to have a nice and
safe fast travel spot around here.
For now, head back to your house and prepare/unload/sell/restock etc, then
fast travel to the Hunter's Rest north of Falkreath - it's time to finish the
Companions quest chain, even if it means doing some fast travel and a bit of
random exploring.
-------------------------------------------------
88. Glenmoril Coven
-------------------------------------------------
From Hunter's Rest, head straight west to locate the coven. For the quest, you
only need to kill one witch, but if you want to cure yourself, and others, from
lycantrophy, you'll need to kill at least 4 in total. Since you're here, you
might as well wipe them all out completely, just for the hell of it. Also note
that there's an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] and a [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK] to be
found in there.
Once done, return to Whiterun to hand in the quest. Or, well.. you'll see.
-------------------------------------------------
89. Driftshade Refuge
-------------------------------------------------
Take a carriage to Dawnstar, then head southeast to the Driftshade Refuge. It's
not too long a trek, and you shouldn't encounter anything particularly lethal.
Once there, take out every single Silver Hand both outside and inside.
Several skill books are also scattered about: [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK], [BLOCK
SKILL BOOK] and [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK]
Once you're through, head back to Whiterun to hand it in and start the next
quest automatically. Head up to the Skyforge, and continue progressing the
quest until you are told to head to Ysgramor's Tomb.
Head out to the wagon at the stables, fast travel to Winterhold, then follow
the road west and continue north after it stops to reach the tomb.
-------------------------------------------------
90. Ysgramor's Tomb
-------------------------------------------------
I hope you brought your silver weapon, there's undead here, among other nasties,
but nothing we can't handle at this point. Go through the place, and once you
are all done, make sure to loot the chest in the final room for a nice unique
heavy shield, the [SHIELD OF YSGRAMOR].
Congratulations, you are now the Harbinger of the Companions. Anyhow, even for
fancy Harbingers, the world won't stop turning, and there are things to do and
places to go!
-------------------------------------------------
91. Angarvunde
-------------------------------------------------
With this little Companions intermezzo all done, let's head back to the area
around Riften. Fast travel to Heartwood Mill, then go west to reach Angarvunde.
Before you enter, find the [SPEECH SKILL BOOK] on the table. Go inside, speak
with Madresi and agree to do her quest. Make sure you grab the [ILLUSION SKILL
BOOK] and the word wall during your visit. Other than that, it's pretty straight
forward, really. Kill the baddies, loot what you want, then head back outside
and head east to our next ruin.
-------------------------------------------------
92. Avanchnzel
-------------------------------------------------
Right, our first dwemer ruin. Remember that Lexicon we got at Riften Fishery?
It came from here. Inside the dungeon, you'll find large quantities of strange
dwemer automatons and whatnot, certainly a nice change of scenery from draugr
and bandits, wouldn't you say? Anyhow, clean out the place and do the quest.
Remember to grab all the cogs you find, as we need 10 of those for another quest
later on.
Once done, go back out north to the road, then follow the road to the east.
-------------------------------------------------
93. Snow-Shod Farm
-------------------------------------------------
You'll soon reach this little farm. Not much to do here, altho there is an
[ALTERATION SKILL BOOK] in the cellar. Head back to the road and return west a
bit till you get to the bridge going towards Goldenglow Estate.
-------------------------------------------------
94. Goldenglow Estate
-------------------------------------------------
We're going to do the Thieves Guild quest here, so sneak over to the beehives
and set 3 on fire, then sneak over to the sewer entrance Vex told you about. In
the sewer you'll find a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK].
Once you're inside the estate proper, it's your choice to either kill or sneak
around the mercenaries. Inside, make sure to open the safe, obviously, but also
to grab the bee in a jar and queen bee statue in Aringoth's room.
When done, head back to the Thieves Guild. Try to also have done the other TG
tasks if you can - you will need to do a lot of those misc tasks in order to
fully complete the Thieves Guild quest chain, so might as well do them as often
as you can. You need to complete 5 small jobs and then a main job in each of the
cities.
At this point it would be prudent to sort out the drug dealer problem in Riften,
so activate the quest marker for "enter Riften warehouse" and go clean out that
place. You'll find two enemies and, more importantly, a note telling you where
to go from here. Head back to the Jarl to get the next quest in this chain.
Also head into the pub to speak with Maven so we have the next quest in the
big chain. Since this quest will take us to Whiterun, let's go ahead and do it
right away. Head to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun and have a chat with the
contact, Mallus, then head off to the Honningbrew Meadery.
-------------------------------------------------
95. Honningbrew Meadery
-------------------------------------------------
Head inside and speak with Sabjorn. Once you've gotten the key and the poison,
head on through the door to your right. Before going to the basement, make sure
you go upstairs and into Sabjorn's room. In there, grab the Honningbrew Decanter
and an [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK].
Downstairs, the basement is full of skeevers and spiders as well as a quite
strong bandit mage. At the table where the mage is, you'll find a [SNEAK SKILL
BOOK]. Once you've cleared it all out and put the poison where it needs to go,
report back to Sabjorn and the rest of the quest is quite simple.
Once you start the next quest, Scoundrel's Folly, progress that as far as until
you are told to talk with Gulum-Ei in Solitude. We'll put the Thieves Guild on
hold for a bit at this point and return to regular exploration and adventuring.
Do feel free to do any of the side jobs whenever you want though, you want to
do quite a lot of those over time.
-------------------------------------------------
96. Largashbur
-------------------------------------------------
It's time to see some orcs about a giant. Make sure you have 1 troll fat and 1
daedra heart with you, then fast travel to Heartwood Mill and head directly
south, following the roads. You'll soon come across the orc camp Largashbur.
A giant is attacking the place (or, in my case, was already dead), but as you
approach, a cutscene starts in which the orc Atub will ask for a couple of
ingredients for a ritual. This is where the heart and the fat comes into play.
Follow the quest marker, and agree to meet Yamarz at Fallowstone Cave. Don't
worry, it won't be too long before we get there, but there will be a few stops
on the way.
-------------------------------------------------
97. Darklight Tower
-------------------------------------------------
Head east, following the mountains, from Largashbur and you'll find this tower.
Nope, no bandits here, but a woman who wants to be free from the evil witches
who inhabit the tower. Agree to her quest and follow her upwards. As usual,
simply follow the quest marker if in doubt. Note that once the quest is
complete, Illia can become your follower if you so desire. Also note, that in
the room of the first hargraven, there's an [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK], and shortly
after the master locked door, there's a [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK] on a table.
Finally, at Silvia's table, you'll find a second [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK].
Now, since we're up here, we might as well continue on the path to the south.
Pull the lever, go south up the hell, and then find the path going east through
the mountains.
-------------------------------------------------
98. Ruins of Rkund
-------------------------------------------------
Closing in on the ruins here, you'll see some wisps flying about. Take them out
however you please, then loot the place. There isn't all that much, considering
the location is pretty hidden.
-------------------------------------------------
99. Crystaldrift Cave
-------------------------------------------------
From the ruins head east down the mountain. You should find a road, so follow
that north a few steps to find this cave. Some random animals inside, as well as
the unique [GADNOR'S STAFF OF CHARMING], a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK] and some
other loot.
-------------------------------------------------
100. The Shadow Stone
-------------------------------------------------
From the cave, head north-east, following the mountain. You should relatively
easily locate the Shadow Stone. Not much to see and do here, and the stone
itself is also one of the more useless ones, so let's move along, going south.
-------------------------------------------------
101. Lost Tongue Overlook
-------------------------------------------------
Heading south from the Shadow Stone, you should see some stairs going upwards
pretty soon. Head up those stairs and follow the path to find this dragon lair.
Since we haven't activated dragons, there'll be some hostile mages here, so take
them out and loot the stuff, including the word wall.
-------------------------------------------------
102. Forelhost
-------------------------------------------------
From the overlook, look east. You should see a rather large fortress on a hill
very close to you, and a smaller tower a bit further away. The large fortress is
called Forelhost and is our next target. We'll get to the tower soon, too. Head
down the mountain and go east. You should find a road going towards Forelhost
and south toward a burned-out house. The house has some random minor loot. Head
north up the road and follow it uphill to the entrance to Forelhost.
Once there, a Captain Valmir will speak with you and start you up on a new task.
So, the inside of the place is divided into three sections. You'll find lots of
undead enemies as well as a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK] on a bookcase in the crypt
section.
The boss battle can be quite challenging, but it's good practice for what comes
later, so enjoy. After the boss, you'll find a word wall. Head back to Valmir
to, well, finish it off fully.
-------------------------------------------------
103. Broken Helm Hollow
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the road leaving Forelhost. It'll turn northwards, and soon after that,
there will be a sideroad heading uphill to the west. Follow that to find this
little bandit hideout. Take out the bandits, and locate Leifnarr's corpse to
update a misc quest. There's aa [TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK] among the goodies.
When you're done looting, fast travel to the quest marker to finish up this
quest before moving on. From Broken Helm, you want to head basically south.
Remember the tower we saw from the dragon overlook? That's where we're headed
now.
-------------------------------------------------
104. Stendarr's Beacon
-------------------------------------------------
Head south from the Hollow, and then follow the small path east up the hill to
get to the tower. There's not all that much to do here, really, but there is a
bit of loot and a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK] to be had.
-------------------------------------------------
105. Fort Dawnguard (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
Right, our next stop belongs to the Dawnguard DLC. Those of you who do not have
this, just skip ahead. (Or go buy it already, what are you thinking?!). Make
the quest "Dawnguard" your active one and follow the marker. You want to head
down the east side of the Beacon, then follow the road north. You won't get to
the fort by going for the map marker, I'm afraid.
Head into Dayspring canyon and simply follow the path to the entrance to the
Fort itself. Speak with Durak at the archery range on the way for a free
crossbow and some bolts.
Head inside and have a chat with Isran to complete the "Dawnguard" quest and
start the next one, "Awakening". Now, we will get there eventually, but it will
take a while, just so you know. Also, this does not yet decide if you side with
vampires or the Dawnguard, so don't worry about that.
Isran tells you that you're free to grab what you want in the Fort, but there's
really not that much to grab or do at this point.
-------------------------------------------------
106. Black-Briar Lodge
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to Broken Helm Hollow, then head down to the road and follow it
north to find the Lodge.
Now, this is the place to activate the quest "Promises to Keep" as we need to
locate the lineage papers on this damn horse. There are a total of 7 hostile
mercenaries guarding the place - feel free to kill them or sneak by them as you
please. Make sure you also locate an [UNUSUAL GEM] and a [SNEAK SKILL BOOK] in
the master bedroom upstairs while you play around inside the lodge.
Anyhow, go to the basement, grab the papers, head outside, grab Frost and go to
the quest marker. Finish the quest however you please.
-------------------------------------------------
107. Lost Prospect Mine
-------------------------------------------------
From where you delivered the horse, go east. You should easily locate this
forgotten mine. Loot the place, and don't miss the gold ore veins in the path
behind the waterfall, then head out again.
-------------------------------------------------
108. Fallowstone Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Going north from the mine, following the mountainside, you should soon come
upon this cave. This is the cave for the Orc quest The Cursed Tribe, so head on
up to the entrance and talk with Yamarz, then follow him inside and through the
cave to Giant's Grove. Here's the thing, no matter what you choose, you will be
the only one leaving this grove. The giant will die and so will Yamarz.
Grab Shagrol's Hammer from the giant's corpse, then head back to the cave and
clear out what you want.
Once done, head to Largashbur to finish up this quest. Make sure to grab
Volendrung from the altar before leaving. Fast travel back to Fallowstone Cave
and follow the road north.
-------------------------------------------------
109. Shor's Stone
-------------------------------------------------
Wooh, a village. Villages mean quests! First of all, have a chat with Filnjar
to progress the quest "Truth Ore Consequences" and start the quest "Mine or
Yours". Now, locate Sylgja to start another misc quest.
Head on in to the Redbelly Mine and clear it of spiders. There's not that many
and they're not really any threat at this point, so shouldn't be any problem.
Return to Filnjar to get your reward.
-------------------------------------------------
110. Shor's Watchtower
-------------------------------------------------
Moving north along the road from Shor's Stone, you'll soon find this lil tower.
Not much to do here except loot the dead guys, so move east across the mountain
until you find a small cave.
-------------------------------------------------
111. Northwind Mine
-------------------------------------------------
Heading north along the road, you'll eventually see a sideroad with some steps
going uphill on your left. Follow that road to the end to find this mine.
Inside, you'll find a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK] and three ebony ore veins. Also, there
are skeletons.
-------------------------------------------------
112. Northwind Summit
-------------------------------------------------
A dragon lair! Without a dragon, as usual ;) Make sure to grab the word wall
once any evils around are dispatched. Once done, head on back to the main road
via the path, but instead of following the road, continue going east.
-------------------------------------------------
113. Cragslane Cavern
-------------------------------------------------
Activate the quest marker for for the misc quest to find the skooma dealers in
Cragslane Cavern, and you should have no problems locating this place. Note that
there's a few enemies outside, so approach with caution.
Head inside and clear out the place however you see fit. Once you take out the
leader in there, the quest is considered completed and the area cleared. Also,
don't miss the [LOCKPICKING SKILL BOOK] behind the bar.
At this point, I'd suggest to head back to Riften to finish up any loose ends.
Chat with the Jarl to finish up this quest, and this should also be enough for
you to be able to 1) become Thane of Riften and 2) be able to purchase the
Riften house: Honeyside.
Also make sure you deliver the strange ore to Hafjorg and deliver any of the
other gathering quests you may have completed.
Once done, fast travel back to Cragslane Cavern and follow the road east, then
south, and you should soon come upon the Nordic ruin of Ansilvund.
-------------------------------------------------
114. Ansilvund
-------------------------------------------------
Now, there's a quest related to this place, but fortunately it starts by simply
entering and exploring the place. A bit into the first part of the ruins, you
will get the quest.
I won't spoil too much, but do as you always do, kill baddies, loot goodies and
complete the quest. There's an [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK] in the burial chambers.
In the end, the reward will be, among other things, the unique sword
[GHOSTBLADE]. Also make sure you grab the [UNUSUAL GEM] in the final room.
-------------------------------------------------
115. Kagrenzel
-------------------------------------------------
Heading east from Ansilvund, you'll come upon a large set of stairs. Follow
them upwards to locate Kagrenzel, a Dwemer ruin and one of the most eastern
locations in Skyrim.
So, head on inside, go play with the shiny thingie and enjoy the Dwemer version
of a burglary alarm. Don't die in the fall. Follow the path, looting stuff and
killing Falmer until you reach the Stony Creek Cave.
-------------------------------------------------
116. Stony Creek Cave
-------------------------------------------------
In here, don't miss the [UNUSUAL GEM], an [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK] and [FINN'S
LUTE] in the side room you find (the one with the boss-style bandit and the
alchemy lab). Other than that, the cave is pretty small and linear, so head
on outside.
-------------------------------------------------
117. Eastmarch Imperial Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Go straight north from the entrance to Stony Creek to discover this military
camp. As usual, this is not yet relevant to us, but at least now we have this
one on the map.
-------------------------------------------------
118. Snapleg Cave
-------------------------------------------------
From the Imperial camp, head west until you hit the road. Follow it south, then
west/south-west. When the road splits, follow the southernmost of the roads and
you'll come straight to this cave. Another, faster, way would be to fast travel
to Clearspring Tarn and go west, but there could be respawns at this point, so
tread carefully :)
Anyhow, however you get there, head on inside and clear it out. Don't miss the
[ALTERATION SKILL BOOK] in the area just before the trapped spriggan.
-------------------------------------------------
119. Mistwatch
-------------------------------------------------
From Snapleg, head back down the road you came from. When you reach the point
where the road splits, head north and follow that road a bit. Shortly before the
bridge, you should see a small road heading north/north-east. Follow that, and
at the end you'll find Mistwatch, another bandit-controlled fort.
Take out the 4 bandits outside, then go inside. Have a chat with Christer to
start a misc quest. There's a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK] in the room where the
bandit leader is. Complete the quest as you see fit, and move back to the main
road we were following.
-------------------------------------------------
120. Darkwater Crossing
-------------------------------------------------
Cross the bridge we saw earlier, then follow the road a bit and cross the second
bridge to find this little village. Have a chat with the locals to hear that a
member of the community has gone missing. Inside the mine there's only some
corundum ore veins, but feel free to grab 'em if you want.
Also make sure you locate Verner as we have a special delivery for him from
Shor's Stone. Whenever you want, fast travel back to Shor's Stone to finish up
this misc quest, then get back to Darkwater Crossing.
Once you're done here, head back across the bridge and go straight west. You
should come upon a small path pretty fast, follow that one south.
-------------------------------------------------
121. Darkwater Pass
-------------------------------------------------
Going up the mountain via the path you just found, you will locate this cave.
Inside, you'll find falmer and chaurus as well as an Argonian captive to rescue.
Note that the falmer and chaurus will ambush you a few times, so tread carefully
when rummaging about inside. Also don't miss the [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] at the
arcane enchanter.
Once you've cleared the place and gotten Derkeethus to safety, you can recruit
him as a follower. Fast travel back to Darkwater Crossing, as our next stop is
on the other side of the village.
-------------------------------------------------
122. The Atronach Stone
-------------------------------------------------
From Darkwater Crossing, head east. You should easily locate this standing
stone. Unfortunately there isn't all that much to do here, really, so move along
to the north/north-west. On top of the hill behind the next cave, there's a
small spot with some soul gems and an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
123. Eldergleam Sanctuary
-------------------------------------------------
After finding the enchanter's spot up on the hill, head west downhill to find
the cave entrance to Eldergleam Sanctuary. Now, before we enter here, we'll want
to do two things. Make sure you have the location spotted so you can fast travel
here, then head a bit southwest to find a small hunter's camp with 3 hunters
enjoying the hot pools. On the table behind the keg is a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK].
Now, fast travel back to Whiterun and talk with Danica Pure-Spring to progress
the quest "Blessings of Nature". a Maurice will ask to join you to Eldergleam.
Accept this, and FAST TRAVEL to Eldergleam. I don't care if you are playing a
"never fast travel" game. Break that rule this once, or be prepared for your
worst time in the game ever. Maurice has horrible AI and will almost always die
on the way.
Anyhow, get to Eldergleam and hop inside. Use Nettlebane on the roots to make
them move out of the way, and Maurice will soon provide you with an alternative
solution. Complete the quest as you see fit, and don't miss the [RESTORATION
SKILL BOOK] in there as well.
Once done, get back to Whiterun to complete the quest, then fast travel back
to Darkwater Crossing once more.
-------------------------------------------------
124. Fort Amol
-------------------------------------------------
From Darkwater, head across the bridge once more, then follow the road north to
another bridge. You should see the fort rigth after the bridge. Approach with
caution as the fort is currently under the control of a bunch of evil mages.
Clear out the place, and make sure to grab the [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] inside at
the arcane enchanter.
-------------------------------------------------
125. Lost Knife Hideout
-------------------------------------------------
Heading south from Fort Amol, you'll soon find this little cave. Plenty of
bandits hiding out inside, as well as a [TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK] and a [HEAVY
ARMOR SKILL BOOK]. Clear it out however you want.
-------------------------------------------------
126. Abandoned Prison
-------------------------------------------------
From the hideout, head north till you reach the river. On your left you should
see a broken-down house. Get down there and loot it for [TREASURE MAP IX] on
Lucky Lorenz' body and a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK] on the table. Also, for those
so inclined, there's a copy of the lusty argonian maid vol 1 here ;)
Cross the river to the prison and enter. The place is haunted, so prepare to
kill lots of ghosts. Make sure you find the [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK] among the
loot.
-------------------------------------------------
127. Hillgrund's Tomb
-------------------------------------------------
From the prison exit under the bridge, head south and follow the road west. Just
after passing the bridge, there will be a small path going west where the road
is turning north. This little path will take you straight to Hillgrund's Tomb.
At the entrance, you'll meet Golldir, accept his little quest and enter the tomb
with him. Clear out the place (do you best to keep Golldir alive, he can be
hired as a follower afterwards).
-------------------------------------------------
128. Darkshade
-------------------------------------------------
From Hillgrund's Tomb, head back down to the road and follow it north until it
does a U-turn south. At the U, keep going north and cross the small lake to
find Darkshade, a troll cave. Clear it out. Among the loot is a [HEAVY ARMOR
SKILL BOOK], but otherwise nothing of particular interest.
-------------------------------------------------
129. Broken Limb Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Mixwater Mill, then head south to locate this giant camp. As
usual, unless you absolutely want to fight them, leave the giants alone and move
along.
-------------------------------------------------
130. Cronvangr Cave
-------------------------------------------------
From Broken Limb, follow the river north/north-west, staying on the south side.
Cronvangr Cave is easy to locate with all the spider sacs outside and whatnot,
definitely not a place for the arachnophobic. Lots of spiders inside, as well as
a [LOCKPICKING SKILL BOOK]. Also some vampires in here. Anyhow, take all the
evil things out and loot the place, then move on to the next stop.
-------------------------------------------------
131. Riverside Shack
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the river north, staying on the side where you are now, and you'll soon
enough find this little broken-down shack. Inside, there's a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL
BOOK]. In the chest, you'll find [TREASURE MAP III].
-------------------------------------------------
132. Kynesgrove
-------------------------------------------------
Heading northeast from the shack, you should easily locate Kynesgrove, a small
village. Head into the inn to get a quest from Dravynea, then head to the mine
to empty it of malachite as well as an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] on a table a bit
into the mine. Complete the quest from Dravynea whenever you see fit, you should
at this point have 1 frost salt lying around.
-------------------------------------------------
133. Witchmist Grove
-------------------------------------------------
Head south out of Kynesgrove and follow the small road going south from the main
road. That will lead you straight to this place, Witchmist Grove. Kill the hag
there and loot the place for a [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
134. Bonestrewn Crest
-------------------------------------------------
From the hag's house, head south and around the mountain to find Bonestrewn
Crest, a dragon lair with a word wall. Kill the baddies, grab the word and move
along to the east.
-------------------------------------------------
135. Steamcrag Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Yup, a giant camp. As per usual, move along unless you want to kill 'em.
-------------------------------------------------
136. Cragwallow Slope
-------------------------------------------------
From the giant camp head directly east over the mountain (whichever way you can)
and you should relatively easily locate this cave. As you may have guessed from
the exterior items, this cave is full of casters. There's an [ALTERATION SKILL
BOOK] inside, but other than that nothing of particular interest.
-------------------------------------------------
137. Narzulbur & Gloombound Mine
-------------------------------------------------
Heading north and east from Cragwallow, you'll find this orc encampment. While
the mine actually is a seperate location as such, the two locations are in
essence the same. There's not all that much to do in Narzulbur in any case, but
the mine has a lot of ebony ore, if that's interesting to you. Just outside the
mine is a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK].
Also, a bit north/north-west of Narzulbur is a small hunter camp with a [LIGHT
ARMOR SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
138. Mara's Eye Pond
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to the riverside shack south of Kynesgrove, then cross the river and
head straight west. You should relatively easily locate this grove. Clear the
vicinity of mudcrabs, then go through the trapdoor located on the small island
to find a small vampire nest. Clear it out. You'll find a [PICKPOCKET SKILL
BOOK] inside. Also don't miss the Stendarr dude in the "basement" section.
-------------------------------------------------
139. Morvunskar
-------------------------------------------------
Head back east to the road and follow it north up the hill. Finding the
Morvunskar fort should be easy from here. Go clear out the place. Notable loot
includes a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK] and a [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
140. Windhelm Stables
-------------------------------------------------
Head east to the road, then north from Morvunskar. Once the road splits, turn
east, and you should come upon the Windhelm Stables just after the bridge.
-------------------------------------------------
141. Windhelm
-------------------------------------------------
Right - it's city time. There's a few things to do in Windhelm. Note that I
will not be mentioning any radiant quests, and I will not at this point be
starting the Civil War questline by joining the Stormcloaks.
Head into Windhelm. Now, there are a few things to do here:
1) Make sure you get into the Aretino house to start the Dark Brotherhood quest
chain with "Innocence Lost".
2) Speak with Sadri at Sadri's shop to start the misc quest "that was always
there". Complete this quest however you see fit.
3) Speak with Hillevi at the marketplace to get a misc quest "Delivery". Simple
fed-ex quest, complete it right away.
4) Head to the White Phial and speak with Nurelion to start the sidequest "The
White Phial". Next step is outside the city, so we'll do that a bit later on.
5) Head to the East Empire Company at the docks and speak with Orthos to start
the sidequest "Rise in the East". Highlight the quest and break into the offices
and steal the logbook however you can. Next step is Dawnstar, so that's it for
now.
From here, exit Windhelm (or fast travel to the Stables), as our next little
exploration circuit will take us to the area east of Windhelm.
-------------------------------------------------
142. Brandy-Mug Farm
-------------------------------------------------
From the stables, head a few steps east to locate this little farm. As with all
the farms, you can gather wheat and make a few gold, but more interesting here
is the [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK] inside on top of the hearth.
-------------------------------------------------
143. Hlaalu Farm
-------------------------------------------------
Following the road north from Brandy-Mug Farm, you'll soon find this farm. There
isn't much to do here, so head a few yards more north to find the next farm.
-------------------------------------------------
144. Hollyfrost Farm
-------------------------------------------------
Just another farm. Now, however, before we continue, there's one quest in
Windhelm we need to trigger, so walk a bit back and forth between these three
farms and the Windhelm Stables, then enter Windhelm at night (7pm-7am) and head
for the cemetary. There should be a dead body and a guard there - if not, dos
some more fast travelling to the farms/stables.
Anyhow, once the body is there, talk to the guard to start the sidequest "Blood
on the Ice". As this quest is completed entirely within Windhelm, I'd suggest
you complete the quest now. Play detective for a while and solve these murders!
Once you're done, fast travel back to the Hollyfrost farm and head north along
the coast.
-------------------------------------------------
145. Yngol Barrow
-------------------------------------------------
You'll easily locate this place going north from Hollyfrost. Enter, explore and
take out the pretty powerful shade at the end for a unique helmet (one of two
different ones depending on if you have the radiant quest or not).
The little blue orbs are just there - they won't attack and you can't touch
them.
-------------------------------------------------
146. Wreck of the Winter War
-------------------------------------------------
From the exit of the Barrow, head north. In the distance, across the water, you
should be able to see a wrecked ship. Go to the small island on it's left side.
A small band of bandits have made this their camp, so take 'em out and loot what
you want. Don't miss the boss chest in the area with the bandit chief ;)
Before going back, head northeast. On the northern-most "beach" on the big
island you find, you'll find a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK] and a couple of gold
ingots.
-------------------------------------------------
147. Traitor's Post
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to Yngol Barrow, and head south (and a little bit east) to find
this little shack. Some bandits here, but more importantly, among the loot you
will find [TREASURE MAP VII] and a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
148. Refugee's Rest
-------------------------------------------------
Following the road east from Traitor's Post, you should very soon see a small
tower (or, well, right away, basically). Head there. There are a few animals in
the place, so take them out and loot the chest on top of the tower.
-------------------------------------------------
149. Sacellum of Boethiah
-------------------------------------------------
On the road between the tower and the bandit shack, there's a small path going
south. This path will lead you to this "little" shrine to a Daedric Prince.
Now, if you, like me, are level 30+, you should've already encounted a Boethiah
cultist and looted him (and read the book Boethiah's Proving). If not, skip this
step until you have.
Now, there are two ways to deal with the cultists here. Either kill all the
cultists and deal directly with Boethiah, or deal with the cultist priestess.
No matter what, eventually you'll have to kill them all, so might as well do it
right away when you can sneak up on them - especially if you are a more stealth
focused character.
Next step of the quest involves sacrificing a follower. Pick a random follower,
I chose Marcurio, a merc you can hire in Riften, and bring them to the Sacellum
to sacrifice them.
Next, and final, step, is to kill the old champion and his bandits at their
camp at Knifepoint Ridge. Since we've already cleared that place earlier, feel
free to fast travel there and finish the quest right away.
Once you're all done, head back to Windhelm Stables. Our next big goal will be
Winterhold, but as always, we'll go the long way around to get there ;)
-------------------------------------------------
150. Anga's Mill
-------------------------------------------------
Head west along the road from Windhelm. Keep following the road over the bridge
and you'll come upon this woodcutting mill. There's not much to do here just now
but at least we now have it as a fast travel option.
-------------------------------------------------
151. Bronze Water Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Keep following the road westwards. When the road starts turning north, follow
the water instead, and you should come upon this cave lying on the northern
bank of Lake Yorgrim. Kill the animals, loot what you want and move along.
-------------------------------------------------
152. Forsaken Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Go back east and follow the small path heading north from the lake. Keep going
north when the path hits the east-west road, and you should locate this cave.
Draugr inhabits this cave system. Notable loot includes [BLOCK SKILL BOOK],
[ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK], a word wall and [THE WHITE PHIAL] for Nurelion, the sick
alchemist in Windhelm.
Clear out the place, then fast travel back to Windhelm to deliver the phial. The
quest isn't actually over yet, but at this point we can't get the next part.
Fast travel back to the Forsaken Cave.
-------------------------------------------------
153. Nightgate Inn
-------------------------------------------------
Go down to the road just south of the cave, and follow it to the west to locate
the Nightgate Inn. While we can't do much here just now, rest assured that we
will be back here. Go around to the south side of the inn, and follow the path
going south.
-------------------------------------------------
154. Tumble Arch Pass
-------------------------------------------------
When the path splits, take the path to the west and you'll come across this
giant camp. Do what you want here, then head north/north-west.
-------------------------------------------------
155. Shrouded Grove
-------------------------------------------------
Another wildlife area, a few random animals and a spriggan in the cave, as well
as a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
156. Silverdrift Lair
-------------------------------------------------
Heading directly north from the grove, you'll find the road again. Just north
of the road, you should find this nordic ruin. You'll find bandits and draugr
both outside and inside, as well as a [TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK], a [PICKPOCKET
SKILL BOOK] and a word wall. Clear the place out and loot what you want.
-------------------------------------------------
157. Ironbind Barrow
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the road to the east, pass the Nightgate Inn, and you'll find a small
path heading off to the northwest. Follow that path to find the Ironbind Barrow,
another nordic ruin. In this one, you won't be alone, however. Talk with the two
people in front of the entrance, and agree to assist them. Clear out the place
and complete the quest. Don't miss the word wall ;)
-------------------------------------------------
158. Wayward Pass
-------------------------------------------------
From the shortcut-exit of Ironbind Barrow, head west down the mountain into the
pass to find Wayward Pass. Go down there and loot the few items there, then fast
travel to the Forsaken Cave and head east.
-------------------------------------------------
159. Yorgrim Overlook
-------------------------------------------------
Make sure you take the uphill path just north of the road, that will lead you
straight to the entrance of this nordic ruin. Kill the skeleton here and loot
the place. Then head down to the road and follow it eastwards.
-------------------------------------------------
160. Fort Kastav
-------------------------------------------------
You will soon come upon a large fort. Casters and skeletons here, so be a bit
careful. Inside, you'll find a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK] in the Captain's quarters.
-------------------------------------------------
161. Stillborn Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Keep following the road eastwards from the fort, and you will after a minute or
two come upon this cave. Inside you'll find falmer, chaurus and a [CONJURATION
SKILL BOOK]. Once you're through, fast travel back to the entrance and continue
along the road.
-------------------------------------------------
162. Whistling Mine
-------------------------------------------------
Right after Stillborn Cave, the road turns north, follow it along and you'll
bump into this little mine. Grab the iron ore if you want, and read the
[SMITHING SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
163. Journeyman's Nook
-------------------------------------------------
Head east from the mine, and you should easily locate this little nordic ruin.
Inside, a bandit has killed the mage Borvir. You'll find [BORVIR'S DAGGER] in
there, as well as [TREASURE MAP II] in a knapsack next to the fire.
-------------------------------------------------
164. Bleakcoast Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Heading north from the nook, and a bit to the east, you should come to the sea
again. On an island close to the coast is this troll cave. Clear out the trolls
and loot what you want. Head directly north from here. Yes, it doesn't look like
there is anything but water and ice, but there is.
-------------------------------------------------
165. The Serpent Stone
-------------------------------------------------
The second island you'll find going north from Bleakcoast will have these
standing stones. Not much to do here, but now they're on your map if you want to
use them. Also, if you become a Stormcloak, you'll eventually need to go here.
-------------------------------------------------
166. Wreck of the Pride of Tel Vos
-------------------------------------------------
Heading south-west from the Serpent Stone, you should easily spot a shipwreck.
Bandits have made it a little hideout, so take 'em all out and clear the place
of anything interesting. Most importantly, make sure you locate Lymdrenn
Tenvanni's journal in a chest in the north side of the ship.
Once done here, head south-west to Winterhold.
-------------------------------------------------
167. Winterhold
-------------------------------------------------
Right, Winterhold. Speak to the people there - there's a few radiant quests,
but nothing major. Make sure you complete Haran's radiant quest right away, as
he has a follow up we need to take care of. The follow-up quest, Drowned
Sorrows, will take you to Riften, so before you go, make sure you grab
Wylandriah's last item from inside the Frozen Hearth, then fast travel to Riften
to talk to Vex and Wylandriah, then return when you're on the step for Hob's
Fall Cave. We'll get there soon, but let's first pop by the mages now that we're
here (and start that guild quest line while we're at it.)
-------------------------------------------------
168. College of Winterhold
-------------------------------------------------
At the bridge to the college, you'll need to pass a test of your magic powers.
By now, it shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you, but make sure you make
a save just before you reach the bridge, as the spell you need to cast might be
too difficult for you, depending on your build.
Anyhow, follow the quest marker and complete "First Lessons", the introduction
to the College quest. Your teacher will tell you to meet up with him at
Saarthal. We'll head there soon, but first, a little more exploration.
-------------------------------------------------
169. Skytemple Ruins
-------------------------------------------------
Head out to the island just north of the College whichever way you want. I chose
to fast travel to Ysgramor's Tomb and go east from there, but I'm sure there are
other ways to get there as well. In any case, you should easily spot the ruin on
the mountaintop. At the ruin, you'll find skeletons and a single draugr, as well
as an [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
170. Pilgrim's Trench
-------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Potion of water breathing is NECESSARY here (unless you're Argonian).
From here, fast travel to Ysgramor's Tomb again and head west into the water.
Roughly halfway between the tomb and the coast to the southwest, you should be
right on top of the Trench, which is far below, under water. Grab your water
breathing potion and head down until you discover the place.
There's a bit of random levelled loot down here, but the main reason we go here
is to discover the location as we're completionists ;)
-------------------------------------------------
171. The Tower Stone
-------------------------------------------------
Head back up, and to the coast on the southwest to locate this standing stone.
This is, probably, the most useless standing stone of them all, as anyone really
should be able to open locks manually.
-------------------------------------------------
172. Hob's Fall Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Directly south of the Tower Stone, you'll find this cave. Now, in here, we'll
have a few things to do. We need to locate Isabelle, there's an [UNUSUAL GEM]
and you'll find [PANTEA'S FLUTE] in there too. Also, a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK]
and an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] are up for grabs. Once all enemies have been
taken care of, and the worthy loot is in your bags, head back outside and on to
the next stop.
-------------------------------------------------
173. Frostflow Lighthouse
-------------------------------------------------
Now, getting to this location from Hob's Fall is unfortunately not as simple as
just going south. You'll have to follow the "path" around east from the cave,
then heading north and finally west to get to the Lighthouse.
Once there, explore the lighthouse to start the quest "Frostflow Abyss" and head
into the Frostflow Abyss, a falmer and chaurus infected cave system. Clear out
the place and complete the quest. Notable loot includes a [RESTORATION SKILL
BOOK] and a bucketload of Chaurus eggs.
-------------------------------------------------
174. Saarthal
-------------------------------------------------
From the Lighthouse, fast travel back to Winterhold. While there, hand over the
note to Ranmir to finish the quest Drowned Sorrows, then head west along the
path out of the town, the same path we took when we went to Ysgramor's Tomb way
back when. Following the path, you'll come upon Saarthal.
Follow the quest for "Under Saarthal" - it's pretty linear, and the puzzles are
simple enough. Make sure you read the writ of sealing found on the final boss to
start the quest "Forbidden Legend". Also make sure you grab the word wall.
-------------------------------------------------
175. Questing interlude 2
-------------------------------------------------
Now, we have a few loose ends quest-wise. First of all, head to Riften and find
Brand-Shei in the prison to finish that quest. Since we're in Riften now, let's
also progress the whole Dark Brotherhood chain a bit and kill this orphanage
matron. Head back to Windhelm and hand in the quest to Aventus Aretino.
Now here's the thing. You need to sleep, right away. I found that I could simply
fast travel to the Mage College and sleep in my bed to trigger it, but in any
case, you need to trigger an abduction. You see, the Brotherhood aren't too
happy about you taking their contracts - this starts the quest "With Friends
Like These". Handle it as you see fit, but note that the walkthrough will assume
that you are going to become a member of the Brotherhood instead of destroying
it. Kill one of the three captives - either one is good, so pick the one you
want.
Now, accept Astrid's offer and exit the Shack. As you can see, it's quite far
out in an area we haven't actually been to yet. Don't worry, we'll explore the
surroundings eventually - but for now, fast travel to the Roadside Ruins near
Falkreath and head to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary nearby.
Head inside. On the shelf in front of you just after going down the stairs, you
will find the book "Lost Legends" - read that one to progress the other quest we
picked up in Saarthal. Also on the shelves are an [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK] and a
set of shrouded armor as well as another [UNUSUAL GEM]. Talk to Astrid to get
another set of Shrouded Armor, and be told to talk with Nazir for your next job.
Nazir will give you three assassination contracts to perform. We'll do two of
them now. The third one, in Dawnstar, will have to wait a little.
After you grab the word wall in the Sanctuary, go take out Narfi in Ivarstead
and Ennodius near Angi's Mill. Feel free to hand them in right away, or leave it
until you've taken out the last one too.
Now, with this done, let's put the Brotherhood on pause for a while, and return
to the mages. Highlight the "Under Saarthal" quest, and fast travel to the
College and inside the Arch-Mage's Quarters. While in there, make sure to grab
the [UNUSUAL GEM], and speak with Savos.
Head downstairs and speak with Urag to get the next target: Fellglow Keep. Urag
can also give you a couple of radiant quests. These could be in any dungeon,
explored or unexplored. If you want to, feel free to do them, but I'll ignore
them in the walkthrough.
However, there are a few other quests we can also start now that we've gained a
bit of rank in the college (We are now offically Apprentices instead of mere
Students), so locate, and talk with, the following people, all within the
College:
Brelyna, J'zargo, Drevis and Onmund. Note that some parts of these quests are
radiant, but they're all pretty straight forward. You should be able to complete
Brelyna's and Drevis' quests right away, while the others will require some
radiant travelling. If that's to locations we've been through already, feel free
to do them right away, then return here. For J'zargo's quest simply remember it
for when you next encounter undead enemies.
Right then, this was a big step in guild progress, but we're not quite done yet,
as I think we should take a few more steps in the College chain. Stock up, sell,
and so forth, and when you're ready, fast travel to Whitewatch Tower just north
of Whiterun.
-------------------------------------------------
176. Shimmermist Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Now, while our actual target is Fellglow Keep, we might as well explore a few
spots around that keep first. Don't worry, it won't take too long. First of all
head directly east from the watchtower to find this cave system. Now, this is a
falmer/chaurus infested system, which is the reason why we didn't clear it out
way back when we were rummaging through this area as low-level explorers near
Whiterun.
Now, however, we are certainly ready for everything this place throws at us. So
head inside and clear the place out. Make sure you have space in your bags as
you will find some Dwemer stuff in the end (and as you know, those things weigh
a ton).
-------------------------------------------------
177. Shearpoint
-------------------------------------------------
From Shimmermist, you want to go north around the mountain, then turn east when
you hit the dragon mound. Follow the mountain on the north, and you should find
a path leading north-east to Shearpoint. This is a word wall guarded by the
Dragon Priest Krosis. Fortunately for us, we don't have any dragons yet, as the
priest alone is quite a challenge.
-------------------------------------------------
178. Fellglow Keep
-------------------------------------------------
Heading directly south over the mountains from Shearpoint, you'll find Fellglow
Keep below you. There's a few mages and such outside, to take those out, then go
inside. Plenty of mages to kill, and a few other odds and ends, like vampires,
spiders and such. During your trek through the place, you should also find a
[DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK] and a [CONJURATION SKILL BOOK], both in the Keep
section of the place. There's also another [UNUSUAL GEM] in the room with the
arcane enchanter that you really need to grab while here. Handle the options
with The Caller as you see fit, then exit the Keep and head back to Winterhold
to hand in the quest.
After you've handed in the quest to Urag, go have a chat with Arniel to start
his misc quest. Make sure to hand in this quest as soon as possible - you should
at this point have 10 dwemer cogs, so it shouldn't be more than a simple fast
travel away. Feel free to do it right away. Now, the next part is a radiant
quest, but if we've already discovered the place, feel free to do it right away.
There are more parts to this quest, but the last 2 parts cannot be done just yet
so we'll put it on hold for now.
Anyhow, head over to Tolfdir and have a chat with him. He has a misc quest for
you to grab, so let's do that before we talk business with him. His missing item
is in the Hall of Countenance somewhere (random location).
When ready, go back to Tolfdir.
-------------------------------------------------
179. The Midden
-------------------------------------------------
Speak with Tolfdir, then follow the quest dialogue with Ancano and Quaranir, all
leading to you having to enter The Midden, the dungeon below the College itself.
Now, before you actually enter The Midden, I suggest you pop by the Arcanaeum.
There's a master locked "investigator's chest there that I need you to pick and
empty for the four unique rings as we will need them where we're going ;)
When you've got the rings, head down into The Midden. Now, our goal down here
is to 1) complete the "Good Intentions" quest and 2) Complete the "Forgotten
Names" quest. Now, the second one won't actually show in your journal, but it
shouldn't be too hard to do.
Also, while down here, don't miss the [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK] at the alchemy lab in
the Midden Dark. The Midden is also a good place to complete J'zargo's misc
quest, if you haven't done so already.
Once you're done in The Midden, head back to the arch-mage, then speak with
Mirabelle to get your next dungeon location: the Ruins of Mzulft. Now, we're
going to go there right away as it's located in the middle of an otherwise fully
explored area. Make sure you only bring what's necessary as there's going to be
quite a lot of dwemer loot.
-------------------------------------------------
180. Mzulft
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Eastmarch Imperial Camp, then go north to find Mzulft. Just north
of the main entrance, you'll find a small alcove with a dead adventurer. On his
body, you should find the book The Aethereum Wars. (Only for Dawnguard guys), if
you haven't read it already, it'll start a quest to locate another Dwemer Ruin.
Enter Mzulft and clear it out., completing "Revealing the Unseen" quest in the
process. There's lots of moonstone ore inside, as well as dwemer ingots and so
forth.
Once you've completed Mzulft, which might take a while, it's a large place, go
back to Winterhold and hand in the quest - do the next part of the quest chain,
Containment, right away, up until the point where "The Staff of Magnus" starts.
Now, our next step in this chain is Labyrinthian, but before we go there, let's
do some more exploring.
-------------------------------------------------
181. Sightless Pit
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Saarthal and head south/south-east to locate the Sightless Pit.
As the name indicates, it's a Falmer hideout. Yup, another Dwemer ruin.
NOTE: The entrace is a point of no return. Once you enter, you have to go all
the way through the place to leave again.
Notable loot inside includes a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK]. Fight your way through
the falmer and various critters.
-------------------------------------------------
182. Mount Anthor
-------------------------------------------------
From the exit from the Pit, follow the path south. You'll come upon a small
altar with some loot and a [CONJURATION SKILL BOOK]. Keep following the path,
which will lead you to the dragon lair Mount Anthor. Two mages occupy this place
in the convenient absence of dragons.
-------------------------------------------------
183. Shrine of Azura
-------------------------------------------------
From the dragon lair, keep following the path until another path heads off
north from this one. Grab the one going north, and you'll come straight to the
Shrine of Azura. Have a chat with Aranea, then fast travel to Winterhold and
enter the Frozen Hearth to speak with Nelacar. He will, eventually, guide you
towards Ilinalta's Deep.
Since we've already discovered that location previously, let's head there right
away.
-------------------------------------------------
184. Ilinalta's Deep
-------------------------------------------------
Ilinalta's Deep is, as you may have guessed, full of necromancers, so expect
magic and undead. There's an [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK] and an [ENCHANTING SKILL
BOOK] in the first section, and a [CONJURATION SKILL BOOK] in the Deluge area.
More importantly though, the last room in the Deluge has Azura's Star. Now, what
you do with it is up to you. You can hand it in to either Azura herself, or you
can bring it to Nelacar in Winterhold.
Either way, you will need to go inside the star and clear out Malyn's soul, so
go ahead and do that. Make sure you grab the daedra hearts - they are, unlike in
Oblivion, somewhat rare in this game, and if you have any interest in smithing,
you'll need quite a few.
Based on your choice, you'll end up with either The Black Star or Azura's Star
and one more Daedric quest completed.
With that done, it's time to return to more classic exploration. We are going on
a small hike that will, eventually, lead us to the city of Dawnstar. We will
take the long way around as usual though, so start out by fast travelling to the
Driftshade Refuge and head south along the road from there.
-------------------------------------------------
185. Snowpoint Beacon
-------------------------------------------------
At the end of the road, you'll spot this small tower. Two bandits have made this
their base of operations, so take 'em out and loot what you want.
-------------------------------------------------
186. Fort Fellhammer
-------------------------------------------------
Heading straight west down the mountain from the tower, you'll very soon see
this place. There's a couple of bad guys outside as well as two interior zones
to clear out. There's a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK] inside the mines section, but
otherwise this place is simply just another radiant quest location. Clear it
out and move along :)
-------------------------------------------------
187. Duskglow Crevice
-------------------------------------------------
From Fellhammer, go out to the west to find a small road. Follow that road south
and you'll find this cave. Once again it's simply another radiant quest location
so take out the falmer, chaurus and bandits inside and grab the loot you want.
There's a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK] among the goodies.
-------------------------------------------------
188. Weynon Stones
-------------------------------------------------
Heading directly south from the cave, you'll very soon locate these standing
stones. Two ice wraiths will attack you when you get close, but otherwise there
isn't much of interest here.
-------------------------------------------------
189. Blizzard Rest
-------------------------------------------------
Moving south/south-west from the Weynon Stones, you'll locate this giant camp.
As usual, kill the giants or move along, up to you. Unless you have a radiant
quest for the giant here of course, then feel free :P
-------------------------------------------------
190. Fort Dunstad
-------------------------------------------------
Head north from the giant camp back up to the road. Follow the road further
north to locate another bandit-infested fort. There are a grand total of four
interior zones connected to this fort. Clear out the entire area, including the
tavern in the courtyard. There's a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK] in the prison area.
-------------------------------------------------
191. Stonehill Bluff
-------------------------------------------------
From the fort, head south along the road. Very soon after the fort, a smaller
path will shoot off to the west. Follow that path through some twists and turns
until you have a giant camp very close to you to the east, then sneak in and
discover this place.
-------------------------------------------------
192. The Lord Stone
-------------------------------------------------
From Stonehill Bluff, head back west to the road. Just west of the giant camp
there'll be a path going off to the west from the path you're on now. Follow
that path to the end to locate the Lord Stone, one of the better standing stones
in Skyrim - 50 armor rating and 25% magic resistance is quite handy. Feel free
to activate the buff now. At this point I was level 43 and could easily use this
buff, so I grabbed it for myself in any case.
-------------------------------------------------
193. Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon
-------------------------------------------------
Now, from the Lord Stone, look south/southwest, and you'll see a large set of
stairs. Let's go there! You'll locate this Shrine by heading up the stairs.
Unfortunately we can't really do anything here just yet, but we'll get back here
in the not-too-distant future, don't worry.
-------------------------------------------------
194. Skyborn Altar
-------------------------------------------------
From the Shrine, head back along the road until you can get up on the mountain
side that's south-west of the shrine, then head westwards until you find the
Skyborn Altar. Clear the place of wisps, grab the word wall and loot what you
want.
-------------------------------------------------
195. Lost Valkygg
-------------------------------------------------
Head directly west from the Skyborn Altar. Looking down from the mountain, you
should be able to see what looks like a massive nordic ruin. That, my friend, is
Labyrinthian. However, Labyrinthian is actually four seperate dungeons with each
their own name and entrance. We will start with the one closest to us, even if
that means crawling/climbing/jumping down the mountain side! Yes, I'm serious,
get down from that mountain :P
NOTE: The following three locations share "cleared" status, so when you clear
one, all will be marked as cleared.
Lost Valkygg is right where you land, so head on inside. Now this is a classic
nordic tomb with draugr and whatnot, so clear it out however you see fit. Loot
worth mentioning is a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
196. Shalidor's Maze
-------------------------------------------------
Head down to the ground floor and go to the big round mound in the middle of the
ruin. Directly east of that, you'll find the entrance for Shalidor's Maze, the
second dungeon within Labyrinthian. Battle/puzzle your way through the maze,
grab whatever loot you want, but don't miss the word wall and the [CONJURATION
SKILL BOOK].
Just after leaving the Maze, head inside the mound in front of you and grab the
[WOODEN MASK]. Save that somewhere, you'll need it later.
-------------------------------------------------
197. Labyrinthian.
-------------------------------------------------
Right. Activate the College quest, The Staff of Magnus, and head to the proper
entrance of Labyrinthian itself. This place is pretty linear, and telling too
much would lead to spoilers. Let me just say, enjoy the dungeon and the story.
Once you're all through, make sure you have plenty of filled soul gems in your
inventory, then head back to Winterhold and follow the quest markers until you
have completed the entire quest chain - the final quest takes place inside the
College itself, if you haven't figured that out already ;)
Now, with this all sorted out, we can go speak with Arniel again for the next
part of his quest. Now we need to locate some Dwarven Convectors. Fortunately,
there's two just around Mzulft, so head there and go inside for the first
convector. The second convector is just south of Mzulft, in a Dwarven Storeroom
where you'll also, if you have Dawnguard, find an Aetherium Shard - keep that
one safe. We'll need one more convector so fast travel to the Ruins of Bthalft
near Ivarstead. Once done, return to Arniel. Now, the final part of this quest
will have to wait a few days of in-game time. For me, that means waiting, since
otherwise I'll forget it. So wait for 3x24 hours and return to Arniel.
You'll eventually be guided to a radiant location in the eastern section of the
map. Since we should've explored the surrounding area, head there right away so
we can finish this quest chain once and for all. Once you got the item, return
to Arniel and finish the quest.
-------------------------------------------------
198. Stonehills
-------------------------------------------------
Now, let's do a little bit of exploring. Fast travel back to Labyrinthian and
exit via the northern exit. Follow the road north and then east to find this
small mining settlement. There's not much to do here at this point, so let's
proceed onward.
-------------------------------------------------
199. Frostmere Crypt
-------------------------------------------------
From Stonehills, keep following the road north-east. When the road starts to
turn more north, there should be a path going off to the east. Follow that to
locate this crypt. You should already outside more or less automatically start
the quest The Pale Lady, so make that your active quest and start exploring the
tomb. Of noteworthy loot, both in the Depths section, is a word wall and the
unique Pale Blade.
-------------------------------------------------
200. Hall of the Vigilant
-------------------------------------------------
From the crypt, head east, then follow the mountain south until you spot this
place.
Now this location is a bit special. If you do NOT have the Dawnguard DLC, this
is the headquarters of the Stendarr blokes. Inside, you'll find a [HEAVY ARMOR
SKILL BOOK]. If you DO have Dawnguard, this is a smoldering ruin with no loot
worth mentioning.
-------------------------------------------------
201. Red Road Pass
-------------------------------------------------
Going north from the Hall, you shouldn't have any problems locating this giant
camp. As usual, leave them alone or kill them at your leisure.
-------------------------------------------------
202. Mzinchaleft
-------------------------------------------------
Go directly west from the giant camp to locate this dwarven ruin. Take out the
group of bandits outside (about 6 of them) and loot the area, then head inside.
Explore this place fully - lots of dwemer stuff, as expected, and at the end,
you'll find the unique sword Grimsever. There's also a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK]. Once
you're done in the Gatehouse section, activate the lever to be transported back
up to the surface.
-------------------------------------------------
203. Windward Ruins
-------------------------------------------------
From the exit from the Gatehouse, follow the road north, then east. You should
easily find the Windward Ruins. Now, inside, you'll find two regular skeevers,
and a spectral-looking one. That's the Guardian Skeever for Kyne's Sacred Trial,
you know, one of the many quests we picked up ages ago and then forgot about.
We'll get to do the rest of it eventually, don't worry about it.
For now, however, continue along the road going east, then north, until you
reach Dawnstar.
-------------------------------------------------
204. Dawnstar
-------------------------------------------------
First of all, talk to a random citizen to find out that everybody in the village
have nightmares. Do not talk to Erandur about them just yet as that triggers an
escort quest.
Instead, go down to the dock and locate the museum (you should've gotten a
pamphlet from a courier at some point around level 20). Speak with Silus to
start the Daedric quest "Pieces of the Past".
Also, in Dawnstar, you have a contract target, Beitild. Take her out stealthily.
Best option is to take her in her house between midnight and 8am, otherwise if
you have good stealth, you can shoot her easily at the mine during the evening.
Now, before we can actually start the radiant quests to become Thane of the
Pale, we need to stop these nightmares from happening. So, whenever you are
ready, go to the inn and speak with Erandur to start that up proper.
-------------------------------------------------
205. Nightcaller Temple
-------------------------------------------------
Follow Erandur to the temple. Keep following Erandur and the quest prompts. In
the laboratory, make sure to grab the two daedra hearts and any other useful
ingredients you'd want. There's also an [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK] in the lab. Keep
following the quest prompts until you're done - what you decide in the end is
your choice, but keep in mind that there's an achievement for collecting 15
Daedric artifacts, the Skull of Corruption being one of them.
-------------------------------------------------
206. Questing Interlude 3
-------------------------------------------------
Right then, head back to Dawnstar and speak with the Jarl to start up a radiant
quest, usually a giant killing quest. You'll need to complete this quest if you
want to become Thane of the Pale. If we've already been to that camp, fast
travel there and kill the target, then return. (Otherwise be a sneaky cheat and
reload until you hit a camp we've already been to).
Coming back to the Jarl, he'll first of all suggest that you become famous in
his hold in order for you to become Thane, and secondly, he will allow you, if
you have the Hearthfire DLC to purchase a plot of land on which you can build
your own house, Heljarchen Hall. Feel free to go there and play around already
now if you so please, the plot is a bit north of the Loreius Farm near Whiterun.
Anyhow. You need to do 3 quests for the people of the Pale. All of these are
radiant quests, but there are a couple of very, very simple quests among them:
Find a "Night Falls on Sentinel" book for Rustleif, chop some wood for Aeri at
Anga's Mill and mine ore for Leigelf are the three non-combat quests to do, but
there are also other options. Either way, complete three quests and return to
the Jarl for the title.
Also, while you're in Dawnstar, have a chat with Stig Salt-Plank to progress the
quest "Rise in the East".
With that done, we're basically done with Dawnstar, but we do have a few loose
ends here and there at the moment. First, get to Riften and find Mjoll the
Lioness. Finish her quest by giving her Grimsever. Now, if you, like me, would
like to keep the blade, have her follow you, then simply trade back the blade to
yourself.
Now, something that I've ignored completely up till now is the various treasure
maps we've found, so let's do some treasure hunting. Note that I'll expect you
to look up the exact locations via the UESPmap or similar - yeah, I'm lazy like
that, sorry.
Treasure Map II points to a treasure near Valtheim Towers, so head there. Nr IV
points to a spot south of Pelagia Farm - that one we can grab as well now.
Nr VII is at Gallow's Rock, so grab that one too. Nr IX is near Broken Helm
Hollow south of Riften and nr X is in Lake Ilinalta.
With these out of the way, head for Windhelm docks. Talk to the guys there and
depart for Japhet's Folly. The quest is pretty straight forward, really, follow
the arrow, kill the bad guys, loot what you want. Once you're all done, note
that the trading company building will improve a lot within a few days - if you
really like grabbing stuff, make sure to return and grab the free goodies.
We have one final loose end - head to the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary, hand in
the three contracts and get your next quest, "Mourning Never Comes".
Now, since we're down here, we might as well go explore two places close by that
we haven't yet been to - Halldir's Cairn and Cracked Tusk Keep, so that's where
we're going now!
-------------------------------------------------
207. Halldir's Cairn
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the road east, then take the road going south when that arrives just as
you pass Falkreath. Going up that road, you'll easily find Halldir's Cairn. Now,
the reason I didn't go there when we were doing this area is that the end boss
can be challenging for a lower level character, and there's a quest in here that
is a bit bugged unless you have the unofficial skyrim patch mod.
NOTE: In the final chest, you will find Rjorn's Drum. If you do NOT have the
unofficial Skyrim patch, do NOT pick it up until you have the quest to go get it
from the Bard's College in Solitude. I will NOT mention this again and will
expect you to remember this yourself for when we do this quest at that point.
Anyhow, clear the place out and loot what you want, then move along down the
mountain and a bit west to locate our next little dungeon.
-------------------------------------------------
208. Cracked Tusk Keep
-------------------------------------------------
There's a few bandits both outside and inside this keep, but otherwise there's
nothing we haven't seen and killed before. Make sure to grab the shard of
Mehrune's Razor in the heavily-trapped vault section. There's also two [LIGHT
ARMOR SKILL BOOK] - one outside at the forge and the other inside in a cell in
the vault.
-------------------------------------------------
209. Overall Status
-------------------------------------------------
NOTE - I am using this document as reference here:
http://www.gearsoftech.com/2012/05/skyrim-complete-quest-list-and-checklist-a
-visual-guide/
At this point we're pretty close to half way through the game, more or less, so
let's do a little status overview of what we have done (Note that I do not count
radiant quests or similar smaller non-journal tasks):
Main Quest: 2/19 quests done
Companions Quests: 6/6 quest done - Harbinger.
College of Winterhold Quests: 11/12 quests done - Arch-Mage.
Spell Mastery quests: 0/5 quests done.
Thieves Guild: 5/17 quests done.
Dark Brotherhood: 7/28 quests done.
Civil War: Not started
Daedric Quests: 5/15 quests done.
Divine Quests: 2/5 quests done. (Marriage counts here)
Blades Quests: Not Started
Bard's College Quests: Not Started, but really 3/5 due to the 3 instruments..
Dungeon Quests: 16/26 quests done.
Other Side Quests: 6/17 quests done
Thane Status: 5/9 quests done.
Treasures from Maps found: 6/11
Hearthfire: 2/3 plots of land bought.
Dawnguard: 1/12 main quests done.
0/4 side quests done.
(I know Dawnguard has a series of faction-sidequests, but they seem
to be fully radiant, so will not count these)
In other words, we've already seen quite a bit of the game, but there's plenty
left to do.
-------------------------------------------------
210. Main Story Progression
-------------------------------------------------
I think, at this point, it is time to progress the main story somewhat. Yup, you
heard me. Since we're basically half way through the game, we want to start
seeing dragons every now and then.
Now, we still want to avoid having the random dragons on our tails all the time,
so we need to progress the main story to a very specific point: The start of the
quest "A Blade in the Dark".
NOTE: For those of you asking "why wait so long with this, you've already
discovered so many dragon lairs without dragons!" - well, to be completely
honest, I was too busy having fun playing the game to realize that there's a
step in the main quest chain that stops the random dragons from spawning.
Besides, we'll want easy and fast access to Ustengrav to reach the point in the
quest we want to reach, and we don't get very close to that spot before point
175 anyway.
TL:DR version: It happens now because that's how I decided to do things :P
So, without further ado, head to Whiterun and speak with the Jarl and his mage.
Hand in the dragonstone right away and hear about a dragon attacking the western
watchtower - go kill your first (real, living) dragon, then return to Whiterun.
Now, upon arrival to Whiterun, a courier will give you a letter and you will see
some Alik'r Warriors discussing with the guard. Talk to them afterwards to start
the sidequest "In My Time of Need". Head up to the Jarl and speak with him to
become Thane of Whiterun and be able to purchase a house in the city. Feel free
to buy the house now and leave your new housecarl Lydia there if you so desire.
While you're in Whiterun, make sure you pop by the Bannered Mare and speak with
Saadia, then go to the Dragonsreach dungeon and speak with the Alik'r there to
progress In My Time of Need until you are to travel to Swindler's Den.
Also speak with the bartender about rumours to hear about how the Jarl's kids
are acting strange. At this point I also found Sam Guevenne who asked me for a
drinking contest. Get the quest, but do not start drinking just yet.
The next part of the quest involves the long and perilous journey to High
Hrothgar. Fast travel there if you want, or do the RP-way and walk there again,
up to you :) Either way you do it, simply follow the commands from the quest to
complete The Way of the Voice and get the next step, leading you to the nordic
ruin of Ustengrav.
-------------------------------------------------
211. Ustengrav
-------------------------------------------------
Head on through Ustengrav. It's a typical dungeon full of undead and whatnot, so
nothing we haven't seen before really. I won't spoil the puzzles for you either,
but I will say that it might be a good idea to consider the use of your shouts
at certain points. There's a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK] lying around in the area
with the many urns as well.
At the end, read the note, get outside and fast travel to good old Riverwood.
Now, here's where we need to be very specific. First, talk to Delphine about the
attic room and rent the room she suggests. She will guide you there, give you
the horn and ask for you to follow her to another room. DO NOT FOLLOW HER. At
this exact point, we have exactly what we want. There are no random dragons, we
have access to shouts, and there will now be dragons at the various dragon lairs
we have found.
Leave Delphine where she is and return the Horn to High Hrothgar to learn the
last word of Unrelenting Force.
-------------------------------------------------
212. Questing Interlude 4
-------------------------------------------------
Right. We have a few small loose ends to take care of at this point. First of
all head to Lakeview Manor (if you can, otherwise head for the Guardian Stones).
Just west of Lakeview Manor, you'll find an unmarked wolf den - this one should
have a spectral "Guardian Wolf Spirit" - take that one out.
Now head on to Whiterun and go talk with the Jarl about his kids. Talk with the
boy to learn of a door in the basement. Go there, speak with the door and then
speak with the kid again, then get the key. Open the key and grab the unique
greatsword [EBONY BLADE] from the table. If you want to, feel free to empower it
as the Daedric Princess recommends, but as it's not officially part of the quest
I'll leave it for you to do on your own time.
Now, we also found this Sam Guevenne fellow. I found him in Whiterun, you may
have found him somewhere else. Either way, head down the pub. Start the drinking
contest with Sam to start the Hangover-inspired "A Night To Remember" quest.
I'll leave the rest of quest to you to handle as you see fit as there's a few
ways to do it. You shouldn't have too many problems getting to where you need
to go in any case, altho Rorikstead might be a bit of a walk for you.
In any case, follow the quest through to the end to get the [SANGUINE ROSE] and
scratch off another Daedric Quest on the to-do list.
Now, we've been doing an awful lot of questing lately, so let's get back to some
good old-fashioned exploring again. There's still a large part of the map we
haven't been around to yet, after all.
-------------------------------------------------
213. Drelas' Cottage
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Dustman's Cairn, then head west/north-west, going north around
the Greenspring Hollow. You should relatively easily locate this cottage. If you
are lucky, you might also see a dragon flying around to the north. Don't worry,
we'll get there very soon.
Now, Drelas is not a good guy. Or, he might be, we'll never know. He attacks on
sight, so take him out fast, and loot his place for whatever you want.
-------------------------------------------------
214. Rannveig's Fast
-------------------------------------------------
From the cottage, head west, following the mountains. If you have trouble
locating the place, activate the misc quest related to the place, that should
make it easy enough. Now, Rannveig's Fast is full of ghosts, so be ready for
that. Also, there's a [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK] and an [UNUSUAL GEM] inside, as
well as a word wall. Clear the place as you see fit.
-------------------------------------------------
215. Cold Rock Pass
-------------------------------------------------
Officially, this is actually two locations - a south and a north section, like
so many other passes in Skyrim, but meh, there's nothing unique about the two
entrances, so.. Anyway, just north of Rannveig's Fast you should find the South
Cold Rock Pass entrance. There are some trolls inside, but the real reason to go
through here is to get to the peak and the dragon lair.
-------------------------------------------------
216. Eldersblood Peak
-------------------------------------------------
Coming out at North Cold Rock Pass, go a bit east to find the dragon lair,
Eldersblood Peak. Now, unlike before, there's actually a real dragon here this
time, so kill it, absorb it's soul and grab the word wall.
So, we have no random dragons, but the dragons ARE at their lairs. If you really
want to play around with dragon souls and whatnot at this point, feel free to
revisit all the dragon lair locations we've already visited:
Ancient's Ascent, Autumnwatch Tower, Bonestrewn Crest, Lost Tongue Overlook,
Mount Anthor, Northwind Summit, Shearpoint and Skyborn Altar.
Note that these dragons WILL respawn, and thus will be a good source of dragon
souls (and for bones/scales for the smiths among you, which should be everyone.)
It's completely up to you if you want to do it and when though, I'm just saying
that it's a possibility now.
-------------------------------------------------
217. Talking Stone Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to Rannveig's Fast, then head south and west across the river.
You should find this giant camp not too far after crossing the river.
-------------------------------------------------
218. Lund's Hut
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the path west out of the giant camp and head over the mountain going in a
straight line west (as much as possible at least). You'll find a cobbled road
going north/south. A bit to the north should be another cobbled road going west.
A bit south of the western road, still on the n/s road, there'll be a dirt path
heading a bit uphill to a small hut under attack from skeevers. Clear out the
rats and loot what you want.
-------------------------------------------------
219. Bleakwind Bluff
-------------------------------------------------
Go further west from Lund's Hut until you find this tower. Kill the hargraven
and forsworn, and make sure you grab the [TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK]. Once done,
fast travel to Rorikstead. (If you for some reason can't, head to Lund's Hut
and follow the cobbled road south. It's not that far.
-------------------------------------------------
220. Rorikstead
-------------------------------------------------
Now, we were here just earlier when drinking with Sam, but we didn't actually
spend any time exploring the place. To be fair, though, there isn't really all
that much to do here. A few things to do:
1) Head a bit north of Rorikstead to find a Shrine of Akatosh. There you'll find
a dragon scale and a relatively rare book called Kolb & the Dragon.
2) In the town, head to the inn and talk with Erik to start a misc quest. Talk
to his dad and either persuade or pay him to complete this quest. When you
return to Rorikstead later, you'll be able to recruit Erik as a follower.
And, well, that's it. Not every village is full of things to do it seems :P
-------------------------------------------------
221. Serpent's Bluff Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
Just at the southern edge of Rorikstead, you'll see a dirt path heading off
south from the main cobbled road. Follow that dirt path to find this Forsworn
hideout. Clear out the enemies outside, then head inside to clear that as well.
Noteworthy loot includes an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
222. Fort Sunguard
-------------------------------------------------
From the Redoubt, go south-east, following the mountains, but staying north of
the road. Eventually, you should see this fort. Now, this fort is really big, so
spend some time here clearing it out of Forsworn. Also make sure you get the two
skill books here, a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK] in the Muster section(bring this with
you!) and a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK] in the Oubliette.
Note that you don't actually have to clear the whole place. The most important
area is the Muster as we need that skill book for a quest in the not too distant
future.
-------------------------------------------------
223. Gjukar's Monument
-------------------------------------------------
From the fort, go north, crossing the cobbled road. After the road, this place
is just a bit to the northeast. There's not much to do here just yet, so let's
move along for now.
-------------------------------------------------
224. Swindler's Den
-------------------------------------------------
Activate the "In My Time of Need" sidequest, and head for this cave. The place
is full of bandits, so clear it out until you reach the waterfall. Behind there
is the Alik'r leader. Resolve the quest however you wish, the rewards are more
or less the same - either trust Saadia or trust Kematu. Personally, I went with
Kematu.
-------------------------------------------------
225. Broken Fang Cave
-------------------------------------------------
From Swindler's Den, go directly south, and you should easily locate this place.
Outside the cave, you should be able to find a spectral mudcrab - kill that one
for Kyne's Sacred Trials, then head on inside and clear out the dungeon proper.
Two skill books inside: [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK] and [LOCKPICKING SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
226. Questing Interlude 5
-------------------------------------------------
Head back to Whiterun and finish up "In My Time of Need" whichever way you want,
then highlight "Kyne's Sacred Trials" and head to Froki's little shack and hand
in that quest. He'll give you another three targets to hunt and take down. Head
to Evergreen Grove and go south-west to locate the Guardian Bear. Then head to
Loreius Farm and go west to the Mammoth Graveyard to take down the Guardian
Mammoth. Finally head north to Journeyman's Nook and take down the Guardian
Sabrecat.
Return to Froki's Shack for a final trial: the Guardian Troll located at
Graywinter Watch. Head there, take out the troll and go back for your reward,
[KYNE'S TOKEN].
Now, let's get ready for another exploration circuit. This will be a pretty
long one. Very generally, we'll be going from Falkreath to Markarth, but as is
to be expected, there'll be some detours along the way.
-------------------------------------------------
227. Lost Valley Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
When you're ready, fast travel to Serpent's Bluff Redoubt and head south. Find
the path crossing the mountains to the south, and continue south, crossing the
river. JUST when you cross the river, spot Treasure Chest V in the water just
under the final, small waterfall.
Continue up along the path, taking out Forsworn as you go. Yes, this place is
big. Follow the path until you reach a bridge crossing a rather wild stream.
Half way across the bridge is a path going parallel to the stream, one leading
to the waterfall, the other leading away from it. Head away from it to find
two hargravens and a word wall + some goodies.
-------------------------------------------------
228. Cradle Stone Tower
-------------------------------------------------
Go back to the cross and follow the path to the west to reach this tower.
Inside are 4 levels, 1 hargraven, an [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK]. Clear it out and
exit.
-------------------------------------------------
229. Bard's Leap Summit
-------------------------------------------------
Remember that path leading out over the waterfall? Go there. Save your game.
Jump. Yep, jump. If you survive, awesome, if not, load and try again until you
survive. Talk to the ghost called Azzadal to get +2 speech skill permanently.
-------------------------------------------------
230. Gloomreach
-------------------------------------------------
Go back to where you found Treasure Chest V, then follow the river west just
past the mountain. Go a bit south to locate this Falmer/Chaurus cave. Not really
all that much here, except for a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK], but feel free to
clear it out and loot whatever you want.
-------------------------------------------------
231. Valthume
-------------------------------------------------
Go south-west from Gloomreach to find this nordic ruin. There's a quest here,
called "Evil in Waiting". You'll end up fighting a dragon priest, so be ready
for that. Also, there's a word wall and a [RESTORATION SKILL BOOK]. As usual
with the dragon priests, remember to grab and save the mask.
-------------------------------------------------
232. Arkngthamz (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
If you don't have the Dawnguard DLC, skip this section.
Follow the path going west from Valthume, and you should relatively easily
spot this dwarven dungeon, which is part of the "Lost to the Ages" quest we
started by reading the book "The Aetherium Wars".
Explore the place, making sure you get [ZEPHYR] and the [AETHERIUM SHARD] on the
way. We should now have two of these shards, as we've already gotten one from
Mzulft. Still two left to grab though!
-------------------------------------------------
233. Dushnikh Yal
-------------------------------------------------
Go north-west from Arkngthamz to find this orc stronghold. There's really not
all that much to do here, except maybe talk with Gharol to get a fed-ex quest,
and explore the cellar of Burguk's longhouse for a [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
234. Reachwind Eyrie
-------------------------------------------------
Looking north from Dushnikh Yal, a large tower should be very visible. Go there
to find the Reachwind Eyrie. Go inside and clear the place of whatever you want.
Make sure you find the [HEAVY ARMOR SKILL BOOK], and also, try to enjoy the view
from the balcony. ;)
-------------------------------------------------
235. Old Hroldan
-------------------------------------------------
From the Eyrie, go down to the north/south path, and head north. When you see
a small path go off to the west, head down that path to discover Reachcliff
Cave. We won't go there just now, but at least we can now fast travel here when
we need to.
Continue north along the path till you come upon the cobbled road. Take that one
to the east until just after you cross the bridge over the river. Follow the new
road to the west and you should locate the Old Hroldan Inn.
There's not really all that much to do here, but I would suggest that you rest
here and sleep in your room in order to start the radiant "Ghost of Old Hroldan"
quest. You'll be tasked with finding a sword in a random dungeon. Whenever you
find it, make sure you return here with it and give it to the ghost for a nice
+1 to one-handed and block.
-------------------------------------------------
236. Soljund's Sinkhole
-------------------------------------------------
Head north along the road. You'll come across a small camp with two dead people.
Read the journal next to the girl for an explanation, and make sure to check
the tree stump for goodies.
Continue north and you'll find Soljund's Sinkhole, a moonstone ore mine that
seems to have a draugr problem. Well, solve the problem by clearing out the
place. There's a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK] in there among the other goodies.
-------------------------------------------------
237. Karthspire Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Moving west from the mine, you'll very soon come upon this large Forsworn camp.
This place will eventually be important for the main story, but for now, all we
need is basically to get through it. Kill whoever you want, but make your way
to the river on the west side. Do not at this point go up the stairs that lead
to the mountain. There's a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK] inside one of the tents.
-------------------------------------------------
238. Four Skull Lookout
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the river a bit, past the iron ore, then head north uphill. There'll be
a path going sort of north-east, do not follow that, but instead go north-west,
so that you go left around the mountain instead of right. Keep going north, and
you'll find this bandit hideout. Clear it out.
-------------------------------------------------
239. Red Eagle Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
From Four Skull, head south-east to locate this place. Now, here's the special
little thing. The outside location is called Red Eagle Redoubt, but the actual
cave is called Red Eagle Ascent. Go through the cave, killing Forsworn as you
progress. Once through, look north, and start going up the stairs, still killing
the Forsworn as you go.
-------------------------------------------------
240. Sundered Towers
-------------------------------------------------
Continue up the stairs, clearing out the semi-large Forsworn camp, then go up
to the ruin proper. You'll find a Forsworn Briarheart there, take him out and
loot him for Red Eagle's Sword.
Once you've cleared out the place, proceed into the tower, get to the second
tower and exit downstairs so you end up on the eastern side of the mountain
range.
-------------------------------------------------
241. Rebel's Cairn
-------------------------------------------------
From where you exited the Sundered Towers, go south-east to find the next spot
for the Red Eagle quest. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it as it should
be marked on your map and whatnot due to picking up the sword from the Briar
heart bloke.
Head inside and do what the quest tells you to. Once you take out Red Eagle make
sure to return to the entrance and grab the improved [RED EAGLE'S BANE].
Note that, unless you have the Unofficial Skyrim Patch mod, you should avoid
reading the Legend of Red Eagle book again, as it will give you the quest again.
-------------------------------------------------
242. Salvius Farm
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Dushnikh Yal, head through the village, and follow the road going
north. Eventually, after crossing the river, you'll reach a cobbled road. Turn
west along that road and cross the river once more. You should easily locate the
farm from here.
At the farm, speak with Rogatus to get a small fed-ex quest to deliver a letter
to Old Hroldan Inn. Complete this quest right away via fast travel.
-------------------------------------------------
243. Left Hand Mine
-------------------------------------------------
A few steps south of the farm, you'll find this mine. Talk to either Pavo or
Skaggi to start a quest to liberate Kolskeggr Mine.
Otherwise, there's not really anything to do here.
-------------------------------------------------
244. Markarth
-------------------------------------------------
Pass through Markarth Stables, then enter Markarth proper. Finally, a city
again, it's been a while since we've been to a real city, hasn't it? There's
quite a lot to do here in Markarth, so let's get started.
First of all, you'll witness an assassination upon entering. Make sure you grab
the key from Margret's corpse, then stay around and wait for a little bit until
Eltrys talks to you and hands you a note. Read it to start the "Forsworn
Conspiracy" sidequest.
Head inside the inn and hand over the purchase orders to Kleppr. We've had that
quest all the way since Riften, nice to finally get rid of that one, eh? :P
Now go up the stairs to the north of the city entrance and follow that path.
The second house you find should be Endon's House. Go inside and speak with
Kerah to start a fed-ex quest.
Exit the silversmith, then hop on downstairs to locate Vigilant Tyranus. He has
a quest for you, so agree to help him clear the house. There's of course more to
this quest than this (It's a Daedric Quest after all), so do what the quest
tells you to and make sure you reach the point where Molag asks you to find a
specific person. The location here is radiant, but we'll get there soon enough.
From here, head on to the south side of Markarth and find the Hag's Cure alchemy
shop. Talk with Bothela for a fed-ex quest, then with Muiri to progress a little
in the DB chain. Don't worry, we'll get to it soonish. Outside, find the smithy
just near and speak with Ghorza to start a quest.
Now head to Understone Keep, the main castle of Markarth. Inside, overhear the
discussion between Thongvor and Verulus, then talk with Verulus and persuade him
that you can help to start the Daedric quest "Taste of Death". On the way to
the Hall, you'll find Calcelmo, so have a chat with him. You should complete a
fed-ex quest, progress "The Book of Love" and get a quest to kill a giant spider
inside Nchuand-Zel.
Enter the Hall of the Dead. Answer Eora with anything but the third initial
option to properly start the Taste of Death Daedric quest. At the same time you
also ensure that the Hall is now safe again. Feel free to return to the priest
to get a reward for that.
Get back to the entrance, ignoring the excavation area for now, and head towards
the Jarl's palace area. You'll want to speak with the Jarl himself, Ondolemar,
Raerek (next to the Jarl) and Moth Gro-Bagol (in the smithy to the right of the
Jarl's seat). That should leave you with one fed-ex quest completed, two radiant
quests gained, one quest to find a daedra heart and finally a quest to find a
Talos worshipper.
Right. Fast travel to whereever you stash your stuff and grab a Daedra Heart and
the skill book "Last Scabbard of Akrash", then head back to Markarth for round
two.
First, hand over the skill book to Ghorza. Then head to Ogmund's house, do a bit
of break&enter and grab the Amulet of Talos. Now go to the Temple of Dibella, do
yet another turn of b&e to get into the inner sanctum. Once in there, get seen
so they will talk to you and give you a quest as "punishment" for your evil act.
Locate Yngvar near the treasury house and buy the poem.
Once done, head back up to Understone keep and hand in the Amulet to Ondolemar,
the daedra heart to Moth and talk with Faleen, then go to Calcelmo with the
letter. Finally, see them meet up and rejoice in doing good deeds.
Now, it's time to play around in Markarth's very own private dungeon, even tho
it seems Calcelmo has other things on his mind at this point..
-------------------------------------------------
245. Nchuand-Zel
-------------------------------------------------
Enter the excavation from inside Understone Keep in Markarth. Note that this
place has a LOT of dwemer thingies. Apparently about 400 ingots worth of stuff,
so if you're big on dwarven smithing, make sure you have empty bags with you.
Now, this place has several zones. At the end of the first zone, you'll find the
spider you were sent to kill, but there's more stuff in the following zones, so
move on through the Falmer-infested ruins. You will eventually find some dead
mages and start the quest "The Lost Expedition". Simply follow the quest markers
to complete that one as well. Note that when you reactivate the defenses, the
quest marker may point you to the armory, that's incorrect - Calcelmo is the
guy you want to see.
-------------------------------------------------
246. Cidhna Mine
-------------------------------------------------
Right then. Let's get to the mine, shall we? First of all, head to the Shrine
of Talos and speak with Eltrys. Go for the evidence in this order: Margret,
Weylin, Thonar and Nepos. There will be some fighting here and there, but you
shouldn't be too challenged. Return to Eltrys to find a little surprise. You'll
end up in Cidhna Mine, the best jail in all of Skyrim.
So let's escape, shall we. You get the chance to side with yourself/Markarth or
with the Forsworn prince Madanach. Choose whichever you prefer and handle the
quest accordingly. There's not that much to it. And yes, you will get your items
back either way, don't worry.
-------------------------------------------------
247. Questing Interlude 6
-------------------------------------------------
Right. With this visit to Markarth, we've managed to progress a few quests to a
point where we can actually go and do them, so let's do a bit more questing.
First of all, return to Riften and get the next part of the Book of Love quest
at the temple of Mara. She will give you one final part of the quest, and this
one we can actually do right away. Fast travel to Gjukar's Monument, speak with
Ruki, then locate Fenrig (near Redoran's Retreat) and bring him back to Ruki.
Return to Riften to complete the quest and get the "Agent of Mara" buff, a
permanent 15% resist magic effect. Very nice indeed!
Our next goal is Windhelm. We're going to assassinate an innocent girl. Yup, I'm
not a very good person. Without being discovered, locate and kill Nilsine.
-------------------------------------------------
248. Raldbthar
-------------------------------------------------
Let's finish up "Mourning Never Comes", and at the same time find another shard
for the "Lost to the Ages" quest. To do that, we need to locate this dwarven
ruin. Fast travel to Bronze Water Cave and head south across the lake. Going
south and a tiny bit to the east, you should locate one of the dwemer lifts, and
just beyond that, some stairs. Follow the paths these sets of stairs create to
find the entrance to Raldbthar.
Take out the bandits in the first section, including your target, Alain, then
proceed through the place, clearing it of automatons. You'll find an elevator
taking you to the "deep market". Go through that place, taking out falmer and
other critters as you go along, and at the end you'll find the Aethereum Shard
as well as a lift and a spot for an attunement sphere (we'll get to that part).
Exit via the left - one more dwemer ruin explored and cleared out. Head back to
Markarth and hand in the quest to Muiri, then return to the Dark Brotherhood to
get your next task - two assassination contracts, of which we can do one at the
moment. Fast travel to Half-Moon Mill and take out your target.
We'll have to take a break from the Brotherhood here, but we do have one more
loose end to do before we return to exploring. Fast travel to Reachcliff Cave.
-------------------------------------------------
249. Reachcliff Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Now, inside here you'll end up doing some rather nasty stuff. At least if you
want the related daedric artifact. As I'm more a min/maxer than a roleplayer,
it's not a big deal to me - I just thought I'd let you know.
Following the quest and it's markers should be relatively simple - kill the
undead, grab Verulus from Markarth, bring him there and do what you are asked to
do.
Now, since we're down here, we might as well move along to the west and clear
out the south-western corner of the map - there's three locations there, so
let's get going.
-------------------------------------------------
250. Purewater Run
-------------------------------------------------
Stock up, resupply, do what you need to do, then fast travel to Dushnikh Yal.
From there, go straight west, and you should relatively easily find this cave.
There's not really much to do in here, though, but there is a [SMITHING SKILL
BOOK] inside. Clear it out, grab what you want and exit.
-------------------------------------------------
251. Hag Rock Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
If you look to your west when exiting Purewater Run, you should be able to see
some ruins in the distance. That's our next target, so start going west. You
should find a road just after exiting Purewater Run, so simply follow that over
the river and uphill. That'll take you straight to the Hag Rock Redoubt ruin
entrance, inside of which is a [SNEAK SKILL BOOK] among other things. Clear out
both exterior and interior.
-------------------------------------------------
252. Dead Crone Rock
-------------------------------------------------
Climbing up the stairs at Hag Rock, you'll eventually come across this tower
ruin all the way down in the south-western corner of the map. Go through the
interior, killing forsworn as you go. When you get outside on the top, move
forward and take out Drascua. Make sure you loot her for the Pommel of Mehrune's
Razor. Also don't miss the [UNUSUAL GEM] on the table in front of the word wall.
-------------------------------------------------
253. Ragnvald
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Salvius Farm and head straight north, following the mountain.
You'll eventually find this place, Ragnvald. Explore the place thoroughly to
locate a dragon priest (keep the mask as always), a word wall and a [RESTORATION
SKILL BOOK]. You'll also start and complete a misc quest by going through the
place.
-------------------------------------------------
254. Kolskeggr Mine
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to Salvius Farm and follow the road going north along the river
to find this mine. As you may remember, we have a quest to clear out the evil
Forsworn from the mine, so go ahead and complete that one while we're here.
Return to the guys at Left Hand Mine to get your reward, then go back here.
-------------------------------------------------
255. The Lover Stone
-------------------------------------------------
Go north from Kolskeggr Mine to find this standing stone (our 11th, only two to
go!). This is one of the better ones, giving you 15% bonus to experience on all
skills.
-------------------------------------------------
256. Blind Cliff Cave
-------------------------------------------------
From the Lover Stone, go east down the mountain back to the road we were on just
before, then head north. You should walk straight by this cave, basically.
Plenty of forsworn inside, as well as a [LIGHT ARMOR SKILL BOOK], a misc quest
to kill a named hargraven and an [ILLUSION SKILL BOOK]. Clear out the place.
-------------------------------------------------
257. Karthwasten
-------------------------------------------------
Exiting the cave, keep following the road north. At the "T-junction" up ahead,
take a left turn and you'll arrive at Karthwasten, our next little village.
We have three things to do in Karthwasten, however, all quest related:
1. Locate Lash gra-Dushnikh and deliver the sword.
2. Speak with Enmon about Fjotra to learn that the new Sybil is with the
Forsworn at Broken Tower.
3. As you entered, you should've seen a debate about the mine in the village.
You can choose to solve this quest whichever way you want - help the old man or
help the mercenaries, the reward is the same. Either way, finish up the quest as
you please.
-------------------------------------------------
258. Shrine to Peryite
-------------------------------------------------
Going straight west from Karthwasten, you'll come across a small altar with a
diamond and a few other goodies. From there, go north around the mountain, then
south to find the Shrine to Peryite. Speak with Kesh to start the quest "The
Only Cure". Now, go to your stash and grab a silver ingot, a flawless ruby, some
vampire dust and a deathbell flower. All of which you should have aplenty. If
you have any of it on you when you speak with Kesh, drop it and pick it up again
so the quest will realize it properly.
Return to Kesh with the items and use the incense to be guided to a nearby
Dwemer ruin, Bthardamz. We'll go there right away, with one teeny-tiny detour,
though.
-------------------------------------------------
259. Dragontooth Crater
-------------------------------------------------
Go north from the Shrine and head down the mountainside to locate this dragon
lair. There's not much here besides a dragon and a word wall, so take out the
flying lizard and loot whatever you want.
-------------------------------------------------
260. Bthardamz
-------------------------------------------------
From the dragon lair, follow the path going west, then south, and you'll come
straight to the entrance of Bthardamz. Note that Bthardamz is a pretty big place
covering all of six (!) zones, so you may want to unload stuff and such before
going inside. It took me roughly 40-45 minutes to wander through this place,
with very little extra exploration. There's a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK] in the
dwelling section, but other than that simply follow the quest arrow through the
many doors until you reach your target.
Once done, return via the elevator shortcut (yes, thankfully :D), and go back to
the Shrine to hand in the quest.
-------------------------------------------------
261. Deep Folk Crossing
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to Bthardamz and follow the road north. When you get close to
the water, make a left turn so you're going west, and you should easily spot the
big dwarven bridge uphill. Cross the bridge and go uphill to find the last
aetherium shard you need (again, only if you have Dawnguard).
Since we now have the four shards, let's take a small detour and finish up this
"Lost to the Ages" quest once and for all, eh? Fast travel to the ruins of
Bthalft (near Ivarstead) and follow the quest marker.
Once you reach the forge, choose wisely. You can only get one of the three items
as there is no more aetherium in the world (at least not known).
When done, travel back to Deep Folk Crossing.
-------------------------------------------------
262. Druadach Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
From Deep Folk, head straight east, and you'll come across this Forsworn camp.
Now, if you sided with Madanach back when escaping the prison in Markarth, these
guys will be friendly, leaving you with nothing to do here at all. If you have
any radiant quests, you cansneak around and take out your single target and so.
If you didn't side with Madanach, clear the place of the hostile Forsworn and
loot what you want.
-------------------------------------------------
263. Harmugstahl
-------------------------------------------------
Continue east along the road, taking the turn to the east when the option comes,
and you should, eventually, find this ruined fort. Inside, lots of special
spiders and a warlock. Notable loot includes an [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
264. Bruca's Leap Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
Going north from Harmugstahl, crossing the river, you'll find this Forsworn cave
more or less right away. It's very likely that this place is a target for one of
your radiant quests, but if not, just clear it out anyway, it's not very big,
and there's an [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK] to find among other things.
-------------------------------------------------
265. Dragon Bridge Overlook
-------------------------------------------------
From Bruca's Leap, go straight east, crossing the rather wild river. At the
small waterfall, you should be able to see a path on the east side going more or
less straight up the mountain - follow that, and keep going north-east. You
should find this Forsworn Camp at the mountaintop. Clear it out and loot what
you want.
-------------------------------------------------
266. Chillwind Depths
-------------------------------------------------
Head south down the mountain. You should be able to see a small mountain lake a
little ways down - that's our target. At the lake's northern side, you'll find
this falmer cave. Inside, spiders, falmer, chaurus and a [LOCKPICKING SKILL
BOOK]. Do what you do :P
-------------------------------------------------
267. Cliffside Retreat
-------------------------------------------------
Go back south up the mountain, and follow it around the lake so you are on the
western side of the lake. Up there, go a bit further west and you'll find this
small hunter's shack. Not much here other than an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK] and a
hunter.
-------------------------------------------------
268. Liar's Retreat
-------------------------------------------------
From the shack, go south and a bit west to find this cave. Now, this is a bit of
a special place. There's bandits and falmer inside, as well as a unique weapon,
[THE LONGHAMMER], but the special part is that when you are about to leave the
place again, you'll get ambushed by another group of bandits. Just so you are
aware that it's going to happen. Otherwise, feel free to clear out the place.
-------------------------------------------------
269. Broken Tower Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
This one should be on your map just south of Liar's Retreat. This is where we'll
find the new Sybil, Fjotra. Clear out the place of forsworn (this might take a
little while as it's a rather large place). Fjotra will be in the tower section,
the last place you'll get to, guarded by a Briarheart.
Kill the baddie, and guide Fjotra back to the Temple in Markarth right away.
Just follow the quest marker for a nice reward: More damage to the opposite sex
in combat.
-------------------------------------------------
270. Robber's Gorge
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Lund's Hut and follow the road going north. You'll find Robber's
Gorge just after crossing the bridge. Clear out the place, looting what you want
and killing all the bandits. There's quite a few of them here actually. In the
cave you find in the house, read the leader's journal for a hint of a treasure
hidden on an island to the south.
Go south when exiting, and you should see a small island just north of a small
waterfall. On that island, at the tree stump, you'll find a master locked chest
(which can be unlocked with the key found on the bandit chief).
-------------------------------------------------
271. Orotheim
-------------------------------------------------
From the treasure island (heh), head straight east, over the river and uphill.
You'll need to cross a second river (whirlwind sprint works wonders here), but
shortly after that you should find this cave. Orotheim is also a bandit hideout,
so take out the baddies and loot what you want. A [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK] is
among the loot.
-------------------------------------------------
272. Crabber's Shanty
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the river north from Orotheim. Just after the big waterfall, you'll see
a small cabin on the western bank. That's the Crabber's Shanty, a fisherman's
hut. Not really much to do here though, so let's move along :)
-------------------------------------------------
273. Brood Cavern
-------------------------------------------------
Cross the river and follow the river staying on the eastern side. The river will
turn east, so stay on the southern side of it. Eventually, there'll be a small
path going south uphill, take that, pass a shrine of Kynareth and keep following
the path - that will lead you straight to this animal cave.
-------------------------------------------------
274. Fort Snowhawk
-------------------------------------------------
From the Brood Cavern, head north. Going downhill, look across the river. You
should see a path following the river north, so cross the river and follow the
path north. You'll come upon a cobbled road with a bridge to your right. Follow
the road left/west, and you should be able to see this fort pretty soon.
The fort's inhabited by necromancers, so clear 'em out. On the inside, you can
find a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK] among the goodies.
-------------------------------------------------
275. Meeko's Shack
-------------------------------------------------
Get back to the cobbled road and follow it west. Eventually you'll find a small
path branching off to the north - follow that to find this shack. Not much to do
here, but there is a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK] here though.
-------------------------------------------------
276. The Apprentice Stone
-------------------------------------------------
From the shack, go east. You'll want to go slightly north as well, as our goal,
this standing stone, is basically just north of the fort we were just at. This
standing stone is one of the worst to take. It actually weakens you in combat,
believe it or not. So, in other words, move along as there's nothing else to do
here.
-------------------------------------------------
277. Morthal
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to the fort and follow the cobbled road east. Eventually you'll find
a small path going to the north, follow that and you'll find Morthal, a small
city where they don't really like outsiders. Our primary goal, as it always is,
is to become Thane of this hold. In this case, that's actually somewhat simple,
but let's clear out a few loose ends first.
Find Jorgen and persuade him to let go of Mehrune's Hilt, then go to his house
and grab it. Then, go to the inn, locate Lurbuk and take him out stealthily.
Now, talk to any citizen and they'll tell you about the burned house. Go have a
chat with the Jarl about it and you'll officially start the primary quest in
Morthal: "Laid to Rest". Follow the quest markers, it's not too complicated and
I don't want to spoil too much.
-------------------------------------------------
278. Movarth's Lair
-------------------------------------------------
Laid to Rest eventually sends you to this place. Follow the road north out of
Morthal to find the place. Clear out the place, and make sure you grab the
[ILLUSION SKILL BOOK] among the other goodies. Once you're done, return to
Morthal and speak with the Jarl to activate the meta-quest to become Thane.
-------------------------------------------------
279. Questing Interlude 7
-------------------------------------------------
Becoming Thane requires that you help 3 people in the hold. There are a couple
of very easy tasks that should get you there, like chopping wood for the two
lumber mills, selling ore at Rockwallow Mine, brawling with Benor or deliver a
note to Whiterun for Idgrod the Younger.
Once you've done all that and become Thane, you can, with Hearthfire, now buy
the last plot of land where you can build your own house - Windstad Manor. As
you can see on the map, it's not too far away, but we have a few other things to
do before going there.
First, go to Dawnstar and hand over the three pieces of Mehrunes' Razor to Silus
and he'll ask you to meet him at the Shrine to Mehrunes Dagon. Fast travel there
and follow the quest prompts. You have to take him out to get the dagger (and
thus the achievement to get 15 daedric artifacts). Also remember to loot the
shrine dungeon after taking out the two daedra Mehrunes summons afterwards.
Now, we've also sorted out our second assassination contract, so let's pop by
the Dark Brotherhood to progress that chain a little bit. Astrid will right away
tell you to go to Volunruud. Hand in the two contracts to Nazir, and let's go to
Volunruud!
-------------------------------------------------
280. Volunruud
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Loreius Farm (north of Whiterun) and head west. You should be
able to locate this nordic ruin quite easily that way. Now, we do have a very
specific goal when it comes to going there, but there's more to Volunruud than
just the Dark Brotherhood fellow. We might as well explore the whole place while
we're here anyway.
Just when you enter, you'll see a skeleton and a book on the floor. Read the
book to start the quest "Silenced Tongues". Now you even have quest markers to
ensure you don't miss the cool bit. There's a ghost boss and a word wall down
here, so make sure you clear out the entire place as well as speak with Arnaud.
Once you're all done, return to Astrid in the Brotherhood, then go to the
Thieves Guild in Riften and back to Astrid to proceed to the next quest in the
DB chain, "Bound Until Death".
With that done, it's time to return to exploration.
-------------------------------------------------
281. Kjenstag Ruins
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Stonehills and head west/north-west to locate this outdoor ruin.
At night, a ghost will go northeast from here, leading you to a grave being
robbed by some bandits. There's not much else to do here, so follow the ghost!
-------------------------------------------------
282. Hjaalmarch Stormcloak Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Going north from where the ghost led you, you'll find this military camp. As
with the others, there's not really anything to do here at this point, so move
along.
-------------------------------------------------
283. Windstad Manor (Hearthfire)
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Ustengrav and head north, and you'll find the site of your third
house. Take some time to build or move along right away, your choice. :)
-------------------------------------------------
284. High Gate Ruins
-------------------------------------------------
From Windstad Manor go north. High Gate ruins are pretty close, so we'd better
clear them out just to make sure that we have peace and quiet at our new home.
Very soon into the dungeon, you'll find a mage, Anska. If you talk to her, she
will give you a quest, and follow you through the entire dungeon. If you would
rather do your own thing (if you are a stealth character for example), simply
avoid talking to her and proceed forward on your own.
Clear out the entire place. Once you kill the dragon priest Volun, Anska will
catch up with you. In the eastern room you'll find a word wall and a "sealed
scroll". Talk to Anska and give her the scroll to complete the quest.
-------------------------------------------------
285. Pale Imperial Camp
-------------------------------------------------
Go straight east from these ruins and you should easily find this military camp.
Again, as usual, nothing to do here at this point.
-------------------------------------------------
286. Wreck of the Brinehammer
-------------------------------------------------
Looking north from the camp, you should be able to see a shipwreck in the far
distance. That's our next target, so go there. There's some random enemies,
mudcrabs and horkers mostly, and [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK] + [ENCHANTING SKILL BOOK]
among the loot.
-------------------------------------------------
287. Folgunthur
-------------------------------------------------
Once done at the wreck, fast travel to the abandoned shack and head west. This
old ruin shouldn't bee too hard to find. Activate the quest marker for the quest
forbidden legend if you are having trouble finding it.
Before entering Folguntur, find the small camp outside the entrance and read
Daynas' journal (this is where the quest marker points).
Don't miss the [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK] in the big chamber. It's near a dead
adventurer basically under the drawbridge you need the dragon claw to activate.
Once you're all done here, having killed Mikrul, grabbed his amulet fragment,
and read the word wall, let's go finish this quest, shall we?
-------------------------------------------------
288. Geirmund's Hall
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Ivarstead and head east onto the island in the lake. As usual,
follow the quest marker, kill the baddies, solve the puzzles and loot what you
want. There's a [TWO-HANDED SKILL BOOK] in the boss room. Make sure you grab the
amulet fragment as well. The quest will now point you towards Reachwater Rock,
near Markarth, so let's go there as well!
-------------------------------------------------
289. Reachwater Rock
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Reachcliff Cave, follow the road north, then west, and you should
find Reachwater Rock relatively easily. Follow the quest markers once again,
using the two dragon claws (emerald and ivory) to open the gates and get to
Gauldur's tomb. Place the amulet fragments and defeat the three ghosts to get
the amulet reforged and complete the quest.
-------------------------------------------------
290. Mor Khazgur
-------------------------------------------------
As you may have noticed, there really isn't all that many places left to go and
see anymore. We basically only have the northwestern corner + a few loose ends
related to quests here and there. So, let's get on with the show and slowly move
our way toward Solitude.
Fast travel to Druadach Redoubt (north of Markarth), and head north, across the
river. After a bit of travel (if you have Dawnguard, you may discover Darkfall
Cave along the way, ignore that for now) you'll find this orc stronghold. Now,
there isn't actually all that much to do here, except reading a [SMITHING SKILL
BOOK] at the forge.
-------------------------------------------------
291. Deepwood Redoubt
-------------------------------------------------
Go east, following the road from Mor Khazgur, then head south up in the mountain
to find Deepwood Redoubt, a nordic ruin full of Forsworn. There's quite a few
radiant quests pointing here, so there's a good chance you already have it on
your map, but either way, clear out the place both outside and inside, and loot
what you want. Note that at the boss, there's a door leading in to Hag's End,
another dungeon. Make sure you locate it as a fast travel destination, but don't
enter it just yet.
Now this was also the last possible location where this priest of Boethiah we
need for the "House of Horrors" daedric quest in Markarth could be located. Once
you've freed him, return to Markarth to finish up that quest.
-------------------------------------------------
292. Volskygge
-------------------------------------------------
Once done, fast travel back to the entrance of Deepwood Redoubt, then head
north/north-east, and you should find this large nordic ruin. There's a few
bandits outside, but nothing you can't handle.
Going through the dungeon, at the very top, outside again, you'll find a dragon
priest and a word wall. Make sure, as always, to grab the priest's mask. This is
the last random dragon priest - there's only one left, and we'll find him during
the main quest.
-------------------------------------------------
293. Pinefrost Tower
-------------------------------------------------
From Volskygge Peak, go north-west, and you should very fast see this tower ruin
in front of you. A few monsters and a bit of loot here, but otherwise this place
is not really that interesting.
-------------------------------------------------
294. Rimerock Burrow
-------------------------------------------------
Remember that talking dog we found ages ago? This is where we continue that
quest. Enter the cave, kill the mage and grab the Rueful Axe from the table.
Now, return all the way back to Haemar's Shame and the Shrine of Clavicus Vile
to finish the quest. Yeah, you have to clear the place again, but these vampires
shouldn't pose any challenge to you. Make sure you keep Barbas alive as that's
the only way to get the Oblivion Walker achievement.
-------------------------------------------------
295. Lost Echo Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to Volskygge and head north to find this cave. This place is
relatively small, with a few falmer/chaurus and a [ONE-HANDED SKILL BOOK]. Clear
it out, and head back outside. Note that you want to burn a glowing mushroom in
the brazier to really investigate the cave ;)
-------------------------------------------------
296. Steepfall Burrow
-------------------------------------------------
Go north along the road from Lost Echo Cave. As the main road turns east, there
is a smaller path going north. Follow that path past a spot with some animals
and downhill a bit to find this cave. There's a few frost trolls inside, but not
much else worth noting. A [DESTRUCTION SKILL BOOK] is among the loot though.
Hop down through the big hole in the floor and into the water below to get to
the lower section of the cave. We're going here as we want to take the exit that
is down here. Clear out that section and exit the cave to locate the "lower
steepfall burrow" fast travel point.
-------------------------------------------------
297. Orphan's Tear
-------------------------------------------------
From the exit of lower steepfall burrow, follow the coast east. You'll soon
spot this shipwreck. There's a few bandits here, but not much else besides lots
of nordic barnacles.
-------------------------------------------------
298. Northwatch Keep
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel back to the steepfall burrow and head west. You will find the large
Northwatch Keep pretty soon. Now, remember that missing Stormcloak we promised
to find way back in Whiterun? This is where he is held prisoner, so activate the
"Missing in Action" quest and do what you do. You can either sneak in via the
back door, or simply kill everyone. Note that these guys are pretty well geared
and such.
Once you're outside with the prisoner, Thorald, have a small chat with him and
he'll run off to join the stormcloaks. Wait a moment with going to Whiterun to
tell his mother tho..
-------------------------------------------------
299. Icewater Jetty (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
From the Keep exit, go west-ish to find this Jetty. We'll need this place very
soon, but first let's go to Whiterun and tell Fralia her son is safe.
-------------------------------------------------
300. Dimhollow Crypt (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
Now we can actually progress the Dawnguard story a bit, so let's do that. Fast
travel to the Lord Stone and go north to find this crypt. Go through the crypt
and solve the puzzle at the end to free Serana from captivity. She asks you to
escort her to her family's home, so once you're outside, head to Icewater Jetty
and travel to Castle Volkihar.
At this point, her father gives you a choice. You can either become a vampire or
you can stick with the Dawnguard and leave the castle in peace. Since vampires
kind of suck in this game compared to werewolves, I chose to stick with the
Dawnguard, and the rest of the walkthrough will reflect that. Apologies in
advance to you vampire lovers out there, but note that the quests are mirrors of
each other, so you'd simply have to do the vampire version instead of what I do.
Head back to Fort Dawnguard and speak with Isran. He'll send you off on a new
quest, "A New Order". Now, Gunmar is at a radiant location, typically an animal
den of some sort. You should have discovered most of them, so go and recruit him
right away.
Sorine, the other recruitment target, is always in the same location however.
Fast travel to Druadach Redoubt, cross the river and follow it east. You'll find
her easily. She asks for a Dwemer gyro to leave, but a good persuade check will
also work.
With those two recruited, head back to Fort Dawnguard for your next mission,
"Prophet". Talk a bit back and forth with Isran and Serana, and you'll be tasked
with locating a Moth Priest. Head to the College of Winterhold and talk with
Orag to find out that there's a moth priest in Dragon Bridge. Luckily, that's
actually the direction our exploration is going, so let's return to that, shall
we?
-------------------------------------------------
301. Clearpine Pond
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Volskygge and head east. You'll probably discover Pinemoon Cave
on the way, but don't enter yet, keep going east until you find the little lake
called Clearpine Pond. There's an [ALCHEMY SKILL BOOK] here, but not much else
worth noting.
-------------------------------------------------
302. Statue to Meridia
-------------------------------------------------
Continue east. You should, a long, long time ago, have found a stone that spoke
to you and asked you to bring it here, starting the quest "the Break of Dawn".
If you are having trouble locating the place, activate that quest. Enjoy the
rather awesome cutscene, then enter the temple as commanded. Use the pedestals
on the way to activate the light, otherwise kill shades and in the end kill the
big bad and grab [DAWNBREAKER] from the pedestal.
-------------------------------------------------
303. Dragon Bridge
-------------------------------------------------
Now follow the roads south towards Dragon Bridge. There isn't generally much to
do in the village, but activate the "Prophet" quest, talk to a random person in
the village, then follow the road south to find a wreckage. Investigate it to
find out the priest has been taken to a cave nearby. Let's go there right away!
-------------------------------------------------
304. Forebear's Holdout
-------------------------------------------------
Cross the bridge and follow the blood stains for the best route to the cave
entrance. Go through the place, kill the baddies and speak with the moth priest,
who will then go to Fort Dawnguard.
Fast travel there and follow the quest markers, then speak with Sarena to find
out that we need to go to Castle Volkihar (Chasing Echoes quest).
-------------------------------------------------
305. Castle Volkihar
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to the Castle, then head left (west) around the main structure, at
the coast line. You'll eventually find the secret entrance. Go through the
dungeon with Serana until you reach the courtyard, then find the missing crests
to solve the moondial puzzle and proceed. Go through the place until you reach
the laboratory, then follow the quest instructions to open the portal.
Once you go through the portal, whichever way you choose to do so, the quest
"Chasing Echoes" completes, and the quest "Beyond Death" starts.
Once inside the soul cairn, go straight for the quest marker, taking out any
enemies that pop up on the way. Locate and talk to Valerica who will tell you
to take down three guardians.
NOTE, there are other smaller random things to do in the soul cairn, but as
they are 100% optional, I'm not going to cover them here besides mentioning
them. You can find 10 journal pages and you can get a few unique summoning
spells as well as a unique horse, Arvak. It's up to you how much time you will
spend on doing these things.
Follow the quest markers, take out guardians, return to Valerica and take out
your next opponent, grab your soul gem (if applicaple), then return to the real
world.
Now, the last Elder Scroll is a bit complicated. We'll get the task to find it
during the main quest as well, but it is actually possible to do it now as it is
really a sidequest running parallel to the main quest. So, are you ready for
digging around in some Dwemer ruins? Of course you are!
-------------------------------------------------
306. Septimus Signus's Outpost
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Skytemple Ruins (just north of Winterhold), and head north.
Crossing the ice will lead you to this little cave. Go inside and have a chat
with Septimus Signus to start the quest "Discerning the Transmudane". Septimus
leads you to Alftand, a large Dwemer ruin nearby, so let's go there.
-------------------------------------------------
307. Alftand
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Wayward Pass and go north along the road. Locating Alftand should
not pose a problem for you that way. Proceed through the dungeon's three zones,
killing baddies and looting what you want on the way.
Once you reach the end of the third zone, you can use the attunement sphere you
got from Septimus to enter Blackreach, the big under-deep cavern connecting many
of the Dwemer ruins all over Skyrim.
-------------------------------------------------
308. Blackreach/Tower of Mzark
-------------------------------------------------
Now, this place is large. Like, really large. I'd suggest to focus on the quest
marker, and go straight for that as otherwise it's simply too much. Note that
you are NOT able to "clear" Blackreach either way, and they respawn anyway. Just
take care of your business and get out, really :P
Locate the Tower of Mzark, solve the puzzle, grab the Elder Scroll and the Runed
Lexicon, then take the lift up to get a new fast travel destination related to
this lil tower thing.
At this point we can continue Septimus' quest and we can progress further in the
Dawnguard chain. Let's start out with Septimus though. Fast travel back to his
hideout and progress the quest until you need blood of mer. Fast travel back to
Alftand and go through the place, grabbing the blood as you come across the dead
expedition members and dead falmer. Yeah, it's annoying, but what can you do.
You want to get to the Animonculory and locate the following corpses: Wood Elf,
Orc, High Elf and Falmer. The last blood we need is Dunmer/Dark Elf. Easiest way
is probably to go to Windhelm and kill a random civilian. If that's not your
style, it's all a matter of luck with regards to spawns.
If you are REALLY impatient and can't find anyone, you can always use the
console commands (on the PC) - "player.placeatme 457F7 1" without the "s will
spawn one dark elf female right next to you.
However you do it, return to Septimus with the blood. You'll end up with a very
nice reward, the book Oghma Infinium. The book raises a set of skills based on
your choice - if you're a min/max type of player, do some research before using
it to make the best choice.
So, we can actually now complete the Dawnguard quest chain. Let's go and do that
before returning to the regular game, shall we?
-------------------------------------------------
309. Ruunwald Exploration (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Fort Dawnguard and hand over the Elder Scrolls to the moth priest
for reading, only to find that he can't now. He'll tell you how to do it on your
own though.
Before leaving, we need to find Sorine Jurard, you know, the girl we recruited
earlier. She'd usually be at the smithy in the fort. She'll tell of you another
guy she'd like to see recruited, so have a chat with Isran who tells you the
guy should be at Ruunwald Exploration.
Fast travel to Shor's Stone and go east to find the place. This cave system is
full of hostiles, so take out everybody, including the final boss, Minorne. Take
the prison key from her corpse and free Florentius to complete the quest.
-------------------------------------------------
310. Ancestor Glade (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel straight to Ancestor Glade and follow the quest markers to progress
the main Dawnguard quest chain. It's not too complicated, and the only enemies
will be once you are about to leave the place.
-------------------------------------------------
311. Darkfall Cave (Dawnguard)
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Darkfall Cave (Just south of Mor Khazgur) and head inside. Time
to find this special super-bow! Head through Darkfall Cave, speak with Gelebor,
go through Darkfall Passage, Forgotten Vale and Glacial Crevice before finally
clearing out the inner sanctum. Don't miss the ancient falmer armor on our dear
boss monster, it's a really rare suit.
Note that the forgotten vale is rather large, and there are a few optional caves
and such on the way round. Most importantly, try to find the "unknown tomes", 4
of them in total. Also, just after the word wall, prepare for a fight with two
dragons.
Anyhow, go through the entire place. Note that it'll probably take a while, but
in the end you'll get Auriel's Bow, a quite decent bow actually, especially vs
undead. Also make sure you get Gelebor to make you a stack of sunhallowed arrows
as you'll need those. You can always return to him to get more, but try to have
at least 100 for the assault on Volkihar.
-------------------------------------------------
312. Castle Volkihar (Dawnguard Finale)
-------------------------------------------------
Head back to Fort Dawnguard with the bow (and Serana) in hand. Isran will do his
traditional leader's speech and then you're all off to Castle Volkihar to end
the vampire threat for good.
Go to Volkihar and join the assault. Clear out the outside (the sunhallowed
arrows are good for this), then head inside and clear out the castle proper.
Once the first fighting's over, locate Isran at a set of doors. Behind those are
Harkon, the boss of the Dawnguard expansion. Note that this is a particularly
tough fight where you will need sunhallowed arrows. Make sure you have quite a
few of them with you. (I used about 50 in the final battle).
Once Harkon's taken out, make sure to grab his armor and his sword, both pretty
rare items. At least if you collect special items, you'll want those :)
Speak with Isran and Serana to finish up the Dawnguard quest like completely.
They will still have radiant quests available at Fort Dawnguard, but due to the
nature of these quests, there's little point in me guiding you through them.
Consider them purely optional. Sorine's series "ancient technology" gives you
access to better crossbows and bolts, which would be the only real reason to do
those quests. Note that you'll need to do it 6 times to be able to get the best
crossbow in the game - the enhanced dwarven crossbow.
Anyhow, clean up your inventory and prepare for another little exploration trip.
We are finally going to go to Solitude, the capital of Skyrim!
-------------------------------------------------
313. Katla's Farm
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Dragon Bridge and follow the road north. You may be able to spot
the Haafingar Stormcloak Camp a little ways north of Dragon Bridge, but keep
following the road. Once it splits into two, one going kind of north-east and
the other going a bit more southernly, take the southern road. You should soon
find Katla's Farm to your south. Now, there's not that much to do here just yet,
but we'll come back here eventually.
-------------------------------------------------
314. Solitude Sawmill
-------------------------------------------------
Go a bit south from the farm to find this sawmill. Just another place to buy
lumber for your house(s) if you have Hearthfire installed, otherwise there's
nothing of interest to us here.
-------------------------------------------------
315. East Empire Company Warehouse
-------------------------------------------------
Follow the road east, making sure you keep to the southern path to find this
warehouse down by the docks. This place has some unique content During the TG
quest "Scoundrel's Folly": You can find a [SMITHING SKILL BOOK] and a [SPEECH
SKILL BOOK] inside, as well as lots of other random loot. There's also an [EAST
EMPIRE SHIPPING MAP] which you can sell to Delvin Mallory back at the guild. Go
ahead and grab what you want now, as we'll be a bit more under pressure when we
return here.
-------------------------------------------------
316. Solitude
-------------------------------------------------
Right, no more delaying the inevitable. It's time to head to Solitude. Get back
up the hill and take the road to the city gates.
First of all, you'll witness an execution. Seems this city is imperial, eh? Go
to the inn, the Winking Skeever, just across from the execution spot. Have a
chat with Gulum-Ei to progress the TG quest, and talk with Sorex to start a
fed-ex quest.
From there, cross the road to "radiant raiment" and speak with Taarie. If she's
not there, wait an hour or two and she should be there. She'll ask you to wear
a specific outfit while speaking with the jarl - agree to that.
Head back across the road to Angeline's Aromatics and go inside to speak with
the owner, Angeline, for another misc quest. Also, outside of the shop, you
should find Jaree-Ra. Speak with him to start a sidequest involving the
lighthouse.
Now highlight the quest from Angeline and go towards the quest marker, up north
to Castle Dour. Since we're on the "bound until death" quest, the Jarl is down
here at the wedding. Make sure you're wearing the correct outfit, then speak
with her. Speak with the captain outside as well, then return to Angelina and
Taarie to complete these two quests.
Continue into the eastern section of the city. Close to the hall of the dead,
you should be able to find Dervenin (he roams a bit, but should be around).
Speak with him to start "The Mind of Madness", a Daedric quest taking place in
the Blue Palace. (We'll get there very soon, don't worry).
Go to the Bard's College and speak with Headmaster Viarmo to start a quest to
join the College.
Finally, head to the Blue Palace itself. We have a few things to do here now.
First of all, hand over the rum to Falk Firebeard. He'll give you a quest as
well, "The Man Who Cried Wolf". Also have a chat with one of the maids, Erdi or
Una, to gain access to the Pelagius wing.
Head downstairs and grab the firebrand wine for Gulum-Ei, then cross the room
and enter the Pelagius Wing. Follow the quest markers to complete this Daedric
quest. Without spoiling too much, let me just say that this is one of the more,
well, strange quests in Skyrim. Enjoy :)
Once you're back, make sure you go downstairs to find a [LOCKPICKING SKILL
BOOK].
Now we have two things left to do in this city before we head on out. First of
all, let's go hand over the booze to Gulum-Ei. Now you have to follow him as he
leaves and walks about. Yes, a bit annoying especially for non-stealthy chars,
but such is life. This IS the thieves guild after all.
Gulum-Ei will walk from the pub to the warehouse we went to before Solitude, and
all the way through the place until he reaches a secret entrance to Brinewater
Grotto. In there, there are bandits and traps, so tread carefully. Once at the
end of that grotto, you can talk to Gulum-Ei again to get another quest update.
Exit the grotto via the secret exit in the back. You'll come out very close to
the Solitude Lighthouse, so let's go there.
-------------------------------------------------
317. Solitude Lighthouse
-------------------------------------------------
Go south from the cave entrance to find the lighthouse. Now, before we go
inside, let's find a treasure chest! Follow the water just north of the tower to
find treasure chest III in a little nook between the cliffs.
Now we can go inside. In the lighthouse you can find a n [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK]
and a caretaker. You don't need to kill anyone to complete the "Lights Out"
quest you got in Solitude, just go inside, upstairs and turn off the light.
Fast travel back to Solitude. It's time to progress the Dark Brotherhood quests
a bit, so head up to the northern section and assassinate Vittoria Vici. There
are a few clever ways to do this, so I'll leave the how and when up to you. Once
done, get to the east empire company docks to speak with Jaree-Ra.
-------------------------------------------------
318. Questing Interlude 8 (Dark Brotherhood)
-------------------------------------------------
As you may have realized, there's not all that much exploration left for us to
do anymore, so at this point we're focusing a lot more on finishing up the
various guilds. My focus right now is the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild
quest chains, so let's get some progression done in that regard.
Head back to the DB Sanctuary, talk with Astrid and get your next mission. Now
get to Dragon Bridge and grab the schedule. Make sure you take out Gaius inside
a city, especially if you like the Dark Brotherhood armor.
Back to the Sanctuary, speak with Astrid and follow the quest markers until you
get the fancy new horsie. Here, we'll take a small break from the main quest
line. Go to Whiterun and speak with Olava instead. She'll tell you to go to the
place behind Deepwood Redoubt, Hag's End, so let's go there and clear it out.
Now, at this point we have a few open routes to take. We can progress both the
Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild quests so far as to complete them, and we
have a few open sidequests as well. It's really open with regards to what we do
first, but my personal choice is to finish up the Dark Brotherhood, then the
Thieves Guild and finally random sidequests.
So, without further ado, highlight "the cure for madness" and fast travel up
north to Dawnstar. Follow the coast north of the city to find the Sanctuary up
here, then follow the quest marker to find Cicero inside. Do what you wish, kill
or leave - either way, report back to Astrid in the original Sanctuary.
Your next quest, "Recipe for Disaster", shouldn't prove to be any real challenge
for you at this point. Simply follow the quest arrows and make sure you're not
seen when killing your targets. Upon returning, you'll be given your next quest,
"to Kill an Empire". Once again, simply follow the quest instructions, but be
ready for unexpected challenges after the dinner is done.
Get back to the Sanctuary (fast travelling to roadside ruins or Falkreath), and
be prepared for a bit of combat both outside and inside. Take out the enemies as
you follow the quest markers and, eventually, you'll complete this quest as well
as start the next one: "Hail Sithis!". This is the grand finale quest of the DB
chain, so although there are a few other optional quests to do afterwards, this
is the big one.
Go to Whiterun and speak with Amaund, then head to the East Empire Warehouse
outside Solitude to take out that Maro bastard! Then head north along the coast
to find the ship The Katariah. I won't cover this as a seperate location as you
can only access it via this quest. Board the ship by using the anchor chain the
quest marker is pointing towards, then go do your thing to anyone standing in
your way. When you're done on the ship, head back to Whiterun and Amaund to
report your success. Kill him or not, your choice. Get the reward from an urn
in Volunruud, then go to the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
Now, while this marks the official climax of the Dark Brotherhood, you can do
more quests. You will automatically start a quest to speak with Delvin at the
Thieves Guild to improve the sanctuary (will cost a grand total of 19.000 gold)
and the Night Mother will ask you to attend her. The Night Mother's quest is a
neverending chain of assassinations, so we'll ignore that one at this point.
Whether you want to buy all the upgrades at Delvin, that's up to you. I figure
that we're rich enough to not care about 20k gold so I bought all of it just
because I could :P
-------------------------------------------------
319. Questing Interlude 9 (Thieves Guild)
-------------------------------------------------
With the DB chain completed, we only really have one guild left to work on: The
Thieves Guild, so let's get that show on the road. Before we progress the guild
chain as such, I want you to finish up the jobs in the four cities: Whiterun,
Markarth, Windhelm and Solitude. We need to activate the "special job" for each
of the four cities, and that is done by completing five small jobs in each of
them. It shouldn't be too complicated or time consuming to do so. Especially not
if you followed my advice and did a few here and there. Note that once you've
started a special job, you have to finish it to get more regular missions.
The special jobs are like this (apologies in advance as I go over these rather
quickly - they are really nothing special and quite simple tasks by now):
Windhelm - Summerset Shadows:
Speak with Torsten, then with Niranye and then go clear out Uttering Hills Cave
and find the locket (on Linwe's body). Also in the cave is a [ONE-HANDED SKILL
BOOK]. Return to Torsten, then to Delvin.
Whiterun - Imitation Amnesty:
Chat with Olfrid to get the details, then go to Dragonsreach. Inside the palace
you want to go upstairs to the Jarl's Quarters. While there, you want to find
both the quest items as well as an [UNUSUAL GEM] at the Jarl's bed (It's the
room opposite the room in which you find the letter).
Markarth - Silver Lining:
Chat with Endon and agree to find his Silver Mold. Head to Pinewatch, which is
just south of Lakeview Manor, and clear out the place. Make sure you also grab
the [UNUSUAL GEM] down here.
Solitude - The Dainty Sload:
Speak with Erikur in the Blue Palace, then get the Balmora Blue from Sabine,
either by buying it or by pickpocketing/stealing it. Then go to the main ship,
either sneaking or killing your way through the place to get to the chest where
the stuff needs to be planted. Note there's an [UNUSUAL GEM] in the last room as
well as a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK].
That takes care of our city-quests, so let's get on with the main quest chain
again, shall we. Go have a chat with Mercer and he'll tell you to meet him at
Snow Veil Sanctum, so let's head there right away.
-------------------------------------------------
320. Snow Veil Sanctum
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to whistling mine and go east to find this place. Mercer will be
there waiting for you already. Head on inside with Mercer in tow. There's not
much special about the first area, really, lots of draugr to take down. Make
sure you grab the model ship before you move on to the second area of the place
though.
Going through the second area, you'll eventually get to a dragon claw door and
a cutscene. Once that's done, you're done in Snow Veil Sanctum and tasked with
a quest that basically involves running a bit back and forth between various
cities and locations we've been to. So without further ado, travel to Winterhold
and then Markarth. Make sure you grab the [UNUSUAL GEM] once you get access to
Calcelmo's museum. Also, in the final room where Aicantar is, there's a unique
"Dwemer Puzzle Cube" to grab for Delvin. Finally, once you're done in the museum
and the tower, get back to Winterhold and speak with the guys there, then head
to Riften.
Now you're sent to Riftweald Manor. You don't really need to do all the optional
stuff, but if you feel like it, feel free. The quest is generally pretty simple
and straight forward. In the final room where the plans are, you can also find a
[SNEAK SKILL BOOK] and a "Bust of the Gray Frox" that you can sell to Delvin.
When you're all done, get back to the Flagon and speak with Brynjolf.
You'll get sent to the Shadow Stone just south of Riften. Again, this quest is
very simple. Just follow the quest markers/prompts and Karliah. There's also a
[PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK] and a [SNEAK SKILL BOOK] for grabs in the hideout.
Now, if you're a light armor user, enjoy the Nightingale Armor. I had a rough
time deciding between that and the ancient assassin armor from the Brotherhood
quests myself :P
Anyhow, it's time to finish off the traitor, so let's head out for one more
Dwemer ruin, shall we?
-------------------------------------------------
321. Irkngthand
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Nightgate Inn and head south along the road. Once the road splits
follow the eastern road to find Irkngthand. There are some bandits outside, so
dispatch of them as you please, then head inside and go through the place.
There's not much to say about the place as such, in many ways it's a typical
Dwemer ruin with automatons and falmer everywhere. There's four zones in total,
and of course our target is in the final zone. Take him out and loot him for
the "eyes of the falmer". Escape the place via Bronze Water Cave and speak with
Kariah for your final Thieves Guild quest (sort of, at least).
-------------------------------------------------
322. Twilight Sepulcher
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Evergreen Grove and go south-west to find the Sepulcher. As per
our usual procedure, I won't be spoiling too much of the details, but suffice to
say that it's not your average dungeon crawl, this. There will be tests! Also,
a few skill books are about, but I believe that by this point you either don't
need them anymore, or you've already read them all. For the record, it's a
[SNEAK SKILL BOOK] and a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK].
Once done, head back to the Thieves Guild to complete both this and the final
quest, "Under New Management".
With this done, we are now officially done with all the four real guilds in the
game. We still have the Bard's College to do, though, and a few other loose ends
to take care of, so let's get on with it, shall we? :)
-------------------------------------------------
323. Yngvild
-------------------------------------------------
First of all, let's go to a little corner that we ignored earlier on. Fast
travel to the Tower Stone (east of Dawnstar) and head north-west to the island
you see. Up there you'll find the cave Yngvild. Clear it out of undead and the
disgusting necromancer. Grab the four journals and hand 'em over to Vekel in the
Thieves Guild if you want - it's just a misc quest. There's also an [ALTERATION
SKILL BOOK] in there as well as one more [UNUSUAL GEM].
-------------------------------------------------
324. Hela's Folly
-------------------------------------------------
Exiting Yngvild, keep going north/north-west and you should easily find this
shipwreck. Not really much to see and do here at this point, but know that
Deekus is a possible Dark Brotherhood target, so if you're doing those quests,
you can be sent here to take him out.
-------------------------------------------------
325. Dead Men's Respite
-------------------------------------------------
Let's progress the Bard's College a bit. Fast travel to Crabber's Shanty and
go north across the river to find Dead Men's Respite. Enter, and go through the
place. It's full of draugr as all other nordic ruins, so clear it out. Note that
you will find your quest target before you find the boss, but make sure you
also go through the dragon puzzle door as there's a word wall in here as well.
There's also a [SPEECH SKILL BOOK] inside.
-------------------------------------------------
326. Wreck of the Icerunner
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Windstad Manor (or High Gate Ruins if you don't have Hearthfire)
and head northwest to find this shipwreck. Note that you are supposed to meet up
with Deeja here, but it's actually much easier/simpler to just kill everybody
right away. You'll have to do so anyway, as they are planning to double-cross
you. So, take out everybody and make sure to loot the note from Deeja's body so
you know where to go next.
-------------------------------------------------
327. Fort Hraggstad
-------------------------------------------------
Right, that should take care of most loose ends. We have a little bit of
exploration to do still, so let's get started with that. Fast travel to Lost
Echo Cave and follow the road east. You should soon come to a road going north,
so follow that to find this fort. It's full of bandits at this point, but there
isn't really that much else inside besides an [ARCHERY SKILL BOOK]. Clear it or
not, your choice. Note that you will eventually have to fight in this fort as
part of the Civil War chain no matter what, so it's up to you if you want to
clear it now or not.
-------------------------------------------------
328. Wolfskull Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Continue on the road east from Hraggstad and you'll find this quest location.
Get in and clear it out. It's not too complex a cave, so shouldn't be a problem
to you by now.
-------------------------------------------------
329. The Steed Stone
-------------------------------------------------
Head back towards Fort Hraggstad and turn eastwards so you have the little
mountain range on your south side instead of just north of you. Then continue
east. Just north of Wolfskull Cave, you'll find the final standing stone.
-------------------------------------------------
330. Ironback Hideout
-------------------------------------------------
Take the small path going east from the standing stone to find this little
bandit hideout. Three bandits in total, and a [PICKPOCKET SKILL BOOK].
-------------------------------------------------
331. Widow's Watch Ruins
-------------------------------------------------
From Ironback, head east till you find the road, then follow the road north and
west. When it makes a sharp turn to the east, continue west a bit and you should
easily find this tower. A single hag lives here, so kill her. There's a
[RESTORATION SKILL BOOK] here as well.
-------------------------------------------------
332. Ravenscar Hollow
-------------------------------------------------
From the tower, go east until you hit the water. Just at the coast, you should
find Ravenscar Hollow. More hags/hargravens inside, as well as a [DESTRUCTION
SKILL BOOK], but nothing else worth noting.
-------------------------------------------------
333. Shadowgreen Cavern
-------------------------------------------------
Get back up on the road (south from Ravenscar) and follow it east. A small path
leading off to the south will lead you to this little cave. A couple of random
wild animals (spriggans/bears and similar) will be inside, but otherwise nothing
really worth remembering.
-------------------------------------------------
334. Broken Oar Grotto
-------------------------------------------------
We now only have one random location to find. Go north from Shadowgreen, and
follow the coast all the way to the northern tip, then turn east and you'll find
this rather large pirate cave. Clear out the place of enemies and whatever loot
you desire (very little at this point I'd imagine). Make sure to kill Jaree-Ra
as well to finish up the "Lights Out!" quest.
-------------------------------------------------
335. Questing Interlude 10
-------------------------------------------------
Right then. Let's head back to Solitude and hand in our quests, shall we? First
go to the Blue Palace and hand in your quest at Falk Firebeard, then go to the
Bard's College and hand in the lost verse. Handle the next part as you see fit.
Once the festival is on (simply follow the quest markers), it's time to find the
three people whose instruments you've had in your possession for ages now - hand
those three over to the right people (Inge Six Fingers, Giraud Gemaine and
Pantea) to finish up the Bard's College quests.
Now, we have most likely already received a letter from Falk from a courier. If
not, do some waiting around until you get it. It shouldn't take too long. Go
back to Falk to start the next quest, "The Wolf Queen Awakened". Follow the
quest prompts and go through the catacombs via the temple. Eventually you'll
find Potema's remains. Plenty of other undead in the dungeon, too, by the way.
Bring the remains to Styrr, then go to Falk to finish the quest completely. Now
talk with the Jarl who will ask you to place her late husband's horn at a shrine
to Talos. Do that, then buy a house and, if you haven't finished it already, do
a few good deeds in Solitude to become Jarl of Solitude.
So, we are at a point where all we have left is basically the Civil War and the
main quest, so let's get started with the Civil War. Note that it's important to
not progress that chain too far before progressing the main quest, so at this
point, we'll only do the initial few quests.
-------------------------------------------------
336. Civil War
-------------------------------------------------
Now, the quests are more or less the same whether you are Imperial or
Stormcloak, but I will only cover the Stormcloak version in this walkthrough at
this point. There's no real need for both versions to be covered, and I can't
imagine playing as an empire fan based on them wanting to execute my character
in the beginning of the game :P
Anyhow, head to Windhelm and speak with Ulfric Stormcloak to start the first
quest. The quest is really quite simple, so once you're done "proving yourself"
get back to Windhelm and take the Stormcloak Oath. The next quest, "The Jagged
Crown" will start immediately.
-------------------------------------------------
337. Korvanjund
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Shrouded Grove and head south to find Korvanjund. You'll have to
tag along with the Stormcloaks through most of the place, so simply follow the
quest prompts. Again, by now, this should be no challenge to you.
Once you have the jagged crown, take heed. This will be your last chance to
change sides - you can deliver the crown to both Stormcloaks and Imperials, so
make your choice now. Obviously, I went to give it to Ulfric :P
Ulfric will give you your next quest right away - a message to Whiterun. Fast
travel to Dragonsreach and give the axe to Balgruuf. Wait for the talks to end,
then return to Windhelm.
-------------------------------------------------
338. Battle for Whiterun
-------------------------------------------------
Once again, you'll automatically start this quest. Simply follow the quest
prompt and keep up with the army. This will be the first of several similar
quests, so take some time to get used to how it works and how it plays out. Once
the battle is over and Balgruuf has surrendered, return to Ulfric to report the
victory. He'll give you a fancy title (Ice-Veins), and you'll get another task
from him as well.
At this point, the quest "Liberation of Skyrim" begins. This is a large quest
involving all of Skyrim's holds. Now, this is where we'll stop the Civil War
quests for a while, and start focusing on this whole dragon thing again.
-------------------------------------------------
339. Main Quest Progression
-------------------------------------------------
Return to Riverwood and highlight the quest "A Blade in the Dark". Have a chat
with Delphine, then fast travel to Kynesgrove and head east. Don't worry about
Delphine, she'll be where she needs to be when she needs to be there.
NOTE: Once you complete this quest, you WILL have random dragon spawns all over
the place. Due to your relatively high level by now, there will be a lot of them
so be mindful of that when fast travelling.
Take out Sahloknir and loot the remains, then talk with Delphine. The next quest
will start right away. Get back to Riverwood, speak with Delphine, then head to
Solitude and speak with Malborn. Simply follow the quest prompts from here, I
won't spoil too much as this quest is rather cool, really.
Do note, that in the cave section after the embassy, there's an [UNUSUAL GEM]
and an [ALTERATION SKILL BOOK] to be found. Make sure you get that gem before
you leave!
Now, return to our dear Delphine and start the next quest, leading us to Riften
to find another old Blade. Before we do that, however, there is a small matter
of these last unusual gems, now that we've gotten the one in the embassy.
The last gems we're missing are located here:
- Markarth, Treasury House, in the back behind an apprentice locked door.
- Solitude, Blue Palace, Jarl's Bedroom
- Solitude, Proudspire Manor, only accessible after you bought the bedrooms.
- Windhelm, House of Clan Shatter-Shield, upstairs.
- Windhelm, Palace of Kings, upstairs.
- Riften, Mistveil Keep, Jarl's Bedroom
As you can see, we even end up in Riften, so go talk to Vex to find out that we
also need to find the actual crown thingie to put them in. Fortunately, she has
an idea where that one is: Tolvald's Cave. Also while at the Thieves Guild, have
a chat with Brynjolf, Dirge or Vekel about Esbern.
We're going to wait a little longer with finishing the Crown of Barenziah, so
head for the Ratway Warrens and find Esbern. Get him out of the Ratway safely
and bring him to Riverwood and Delphine. They will then guide you to Sky Haven
Temple, aka, the Karthspire. Tell them that you'll meet them there, as we have
one little detour to take first.
-------------------------------------------------
340. Tolvald's Cave
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Shor's Watchtower and head east, over the mountain. You shouldn't
have any trouble finding this cave as you have a quest marker pointing you to it
as well.
Tolvald's Cave is a large Falmer-infested cave with three interior areas. Go
through the place and clear it out, making sure you grab the Crown of Barenziah
in the final section. There's also a [BLOCK SKILL BOOK] and a [DESTRUCTION SKILL
BOOK] in here.
-------------------------------------------------
341. Sky Haven Temple
-------------------------------------------------
Fast travel to Soljund's Sinkhole and approach the big forsworn camp. There
might be a dragon attacking as well, so clear out everything and everybody, then
get inside the Karthspire itself. Delphine and Esbern will meet you outside the
entrance.
There are a few enemies in the first section, but once you get to the actual
temple, you are safe. Go through the place, there's a few interesting items in
there beside what we're looking for.
Once you're all done, it's time to return to High Hrothgar. The next few steps
are pretty self-explanatory, especially since we already have the Elder Scroll
that you will need to progress the main story pretty soon. Now, when you get
asked for the scroll, say you have it and get the quest arrow next to you. Then
you may need to fast travel out and back again due to Skyrim being the buggy
game that it is.
Go through, do what you need to do, return and use your newly learned power to
your advantage. Note that your target can only be damaged on the ground, not
while in the air. Once done, speak with the leader of the Greybears to learn a
new passive bonus, and that we need to have the Jarl of Whiterun agree to let
Dragonsreach live up to it's name again. That won't be easy during a civil war.
So, go to Whiterun and speak with the Jarl. You will need to stop the Civil War
in some way before continuing. Now, there's two ways of doing this. Either you
complete the quest "Season Unending" in which a truce is negotiated, or you win
the Civil War.
For this walkthrough, we will complete "Season Unending". You can always break
the truce and win the war afterwards if you should so desire.
Note, however, that now that the Throat of the World is accessible, we have one
small sidequest to perform. Head to Windhelm and speak with Quintus in the
alchemy shop. Remember that strange phial we found that was broken? He now knows
how to fix it. The ingredients should be easy enough for you to locate, so go
ahead and finish this quest before proceeding with Season Unending.
Assemble all the guys at High Hrothgar and complete the negotiations as you see
fit. As they vary based on what you've done and where we are etc, there's no
set way of doing things. Know that you cannot fail this quest, eventually all
will agree to it.
Also, after the meeting, the Blades will tell you to either kill Paarthunax or
live without their help in the future. Again, up to you to decide what to do
here, there's no right or wrong choice, and there's no way you can not choose.
-------------------------------------------------
342. Skuldafn
-------------------------------------------------
With all this done and the Civil war on hold because of Alduin, let's trap us
a dragon! Go to Whiterun and talk with the Jarl to know that the city is ready.
NOTE: You will have a LONG mission ahead of you, so bring all the supplies you
need like arrows and potions etc.
Go ahead and summon the dragon, then capture it by use of Dragonrend. You'll
find out that more dragons are resisting Alduin, and that he will fly you to
Skuldafn, Alduin's last stronghold. Let's go right away and finish this mess,
shall we?
Once you arrive at Skuldafn, kill of the draugr and the dragon attacking you,
then proceed forward, killing baddies as they come. Ignore the south tower,
there's only draugr in there. Continue following the quest marker and enter the
temple.
Pass through both sections of the temple, killing draugr and solving puzzles
along the way. Don't miss the word wall either (it's really hard to miss, truth
be told). Going back outside, there'll be more draugr, a dragon priest and two
dragons. The dragons will NOT attack unless attacked, so you might want to
clear out the other enemies before taking them out, or just leave them alone.
Make sure you loot the dragon priest mask, the last one we need for a full
collection (and we need the full collection for a little thing to do after we
finish up this main quest thing).
Once done, continue onwards, into Sovngarde. There'll be little fighting here,
so push forward among all the souls. You can use the clear skies shout to clear
a path through the mist, but it's not necessary to do so. Tsun will challenge
you upon arrival to ensure you are worthy, so take him on, then enter the big
hall. From here on out it's relatively straight forward, really - big battle,
save the world and all that.
You will, eventually, find your way back at the Throat of the World, free to
roam Skyrim however you please.
There is one last secret I have left to tell you before leaving you, though.
Grab all the dragon priest masks and head for Labyrinthian. Within the little
round "room" in the middle of the place (going straight forward when fast
travellign there), you will find a note and a wooden mask. Put on the wooden
mask and place the other masks in their spots to get the final mask. You can
grab all the nine masks once it's opened up. To get back to reality, just take
off the wooden mask again.
That's it, I have nothing more to tell you. With regards to the Civil War chain,
well, if you want to finish it up, there's really nothing that hard about it at
this point. Just go ahead and fight through it - it should all be simple from
here on out as it's quite linear and you've discovered all the locations ;)
Remember, Skyrim never ends. There's always radiant quests to do, dragons to
kill and words to unlock. And, of course, if you are so inclined, there's also
another expansion to play - Dragonborn.
Enjoy! :)
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END OF WALKTHROUGH
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VIII. Version history
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0.1 - Guide started, initial layout, first 72 areas covered.
0.11 - Added nrs 73-83 + Few minor corrections to previous text and areas.
0.12 - Added nrs 84-112.
0.13 - Added nrs 113-139 + minor corrections.
0.2 - Added nrs 140-148 + added Mara's Eye Pool as 137.
0.3 - Added nrs 149-174 + some minor corrections/additions in earlier nrs.
0.31 - Added Arcwind Point as nr 65, updated all other nrs.
0.32 - Added nrs 175-183 + a few minor directional corrections.
0.4 - Added nrs 184-210
0.43 - Added nrs 211-227
0.5 - Added nrs 228-249 + elaborated nr 84 a bit.
0.6 - Added nrs 250-263
0.7 - Added nrs 264-300
0.75 - Added nrs 301-317
0.8 - Added nrs 318-322
0.9 - Added nrs 323-336
1.0 - Added nrs 337-342 - game, and guide, is now completed.
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END OF FILE
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Amazing Games. Many Cheats. Such Wow.
