There are many enemies to fight throughout Skyrim; however, there aren't nearly as many boss battles as there are in many other RPGs. Skyrim features mostly combat with regular enemies that die within a few hits from a sword, but every once in a while, you'll encounter a boss fight that tests your skills as a Skyrim warrior.
The Lord Harkon boss fight takes place at the end of the Dawnguard DLC questline, and it's one of the hardest fights in the vampire-themed expansion pack. There are a few different strategies you should follow if you want to swiftly defeat Lord Harkon, and you should also know about the rewards you earn when you defeat the Vampire Lord.
How To Defeat Lord Harkon
Depending on whether you took the side of the Dawnguard or the Volkihar Vampires earlier in the Dawnguard DLC questline, the dialogue and quest objectives prior to fighting Lord Harkon are different. Regardless of whether you had to invade Castle Volkihar or if you call this Castle your home, the final battle with Harkon remains mostly the same.
Once you confront Lord Harkon and finish speaking with him during the "Kindred Judgement" quest, the battle will begin, and you'll have to defeat Harkon before you can progress any further. You have the option to give Lord Harkon Auriel's Bow during dialogue before the battle starts. Don't give Auriel's Bow to Harkon before the fight starts as this weapon makes the battle much easier in your hands. Regardless of your dialogue choices during "Kindred Judgement," Harkon won't allow you to side with him, so you have to fight him.
Auriel's Bow is the most important weapon you have during this fight since shooting Harkon with a Sunhallowed Elven Arrow from the Auriel Bow is massively damaging to his health. However, Harkon moves around the arena quickly during most of the battle, so you need to wait until he's standing still or moving slowly before you can accurately hit him with a Sunhallowed Elven Arrow.
Harkon stands still in the middle of the room while he's healing. It may be easier to defeat Harkon when he's melee attacking you since he's closer to you while performing these attacks.
Keep using Auriel's Bow and other attacks until Harkon runs out of health, then he will fly over to his healing spot, but he can't heal, so he dies instead. You can now collect your rewards from Lord Harkon and finish the quest.
How To Defend Yourself Against Lord Harkon's Attacks
Lord Harkon is a Vampire Lord, and he has been practicing with his powers for a long time, so he has many attacks that defeat you in a few hits. Lord Harkon uses a Life Drain spell to steal health from you and Serana.
Unfortunately, it's hard to combat this attack since - even if you manage to avoid taking damage from the Life Drain attack - Serana will also take damage, which will restore Harkon's health.
Harkon's Life Drain ability is one of the reasons you need Auriel's Bow because it's hard to deal enough damage to Harkon without the special Sunhallowed Elven Arrows while Harkon continues to heal himself.
If Lord Harkon runs out of Magicka, then he will start using his claws to attack you. Don't allow Harkon to hit you while he's using his claws; instead, run away from him until he stops using the attack. Harkon can also teleport, so you need to practice aiming Auriel's Bow at him since it may take a few tries before you can hit Harkon without him teleporting to a different part of the room.
The most powerful ability that Lord Harkon has is the power to heal himself each time you bring his health down by a large chunk. Harkon can create a magical circle around him, allowing him to heal, and he will also spawn Skeletons to keep you busy while he regains his health.
Fight the Skeletons quickly, and be ready to fight whenever he spawns them. Using attacks that can damage multiple enemies at once is a good idea, such as the Fire Storm spell. Luckily, Harkon is weak during this stage since he's staying in one spot, which makes it easier to hit him with Auriel's Bow.
After defeating the skeletons, you should fire Sunhallowed Elven Arrows at Harkon, since he can't teleport away as he does during the regular fight. Inflicting massive damage whenever you see the opportunity is the most important thing to remember; never waste an opportunity to hit Harkon with Auriel's Bow. Harkon is resistant to frost but weak against fire, so if you're a mage, then use fire spells.
Lord Harkon can also summon Skeletons and Gargoyles during other parts of the boss fight, so keep an eye open for them and defeat the side enemies as quickly as possible. It's difficult to avoid the minion attacks while also fighting Harkon directly, so the weaker enemies should get your immediate attention once they spawn. Both Skeletons and Gargoyles are easy to defeat, and they don't require any special weapons to damage, so use any weapons you brought to the battle to fight them.
Everything You Earn For Defeating Lord Harkon
Lord Harkon is one of the toughest bosses in Skyrim, so the rewards you earn for defeating him are powerful. The most notable piece of loot you acquire after defeating Harkon is Harkon's Sword, a one-handed sword that is incredibly powerful if a vampire uses it. If you're a vampire, then Harkon's Swords will deal 11 base damage as well as absorbing 15 health, stamina, and Magicka points from any enemy you hit with it. You may also find Vampire Royal Armor on Harkon upon his defeat, which is worth taking if you collect apparel.
Although Harkon's Sword is a fantastic weapon, it's not the only reward you earn for defeating Lord Harkon. Since defeating Lord Harkon signals the end of the Dawnguard DLC questline, you get rewards other than those that relate to Harkon. You can now have Serana as a full-time companion, and Castle Volkihar now belongs to you if you sided with the Volkihar Vampires during the Dawnguard DLC questline.