The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a giant game, and the Dragonborn expansion pack makes it even bigger. With such a giant landmass to explore, you may miss a lot of interesting things that Bethesda put into this impressive DLC. There are a bunch of different hidden quests, locations, and items that you can find, and, unfortunately, so many of them get passed up by the unwary. This expansion proves that the second playthrough of Skyrim is usually crucial to experience everything.
This list will go over a few hidden things that most Skyrim adventurers didn't get a chance to experience in the Dragonborn expansion pack. From spider scrolls to a magical ring, here are ten things that you completely missed on the island of Solstheim.
Updated November 15, 2021, by Michael Caruso: Solstheim offers an entirely new island to explore, complete with multiple regions and different environments. Although Solstheim isn't as large as Skyrim, there are still many things you may miss while exploring the open-world environment. There are dungeons, items, and even settlements that hide throughout Solstheim, and you should know about them so you can explore everything that the Dragonborn DLC has to offer. Here are more things that you didn't know about on the island of Solstheim.
15 The Flying Wizard
The Flying Wizard is an NPC who made his first appearance in Morrowind. You can't speak with this wizard; however, you can find the wizard's corpse after he tries to perform a flying spell. As you can tell, the spell goes badly, and the wizard ends up dead, which is a shame considering that he was probably a very powerful mage.
While you are adventuring on Solstheim, in the area of land near Raven Rock, you may encounter the Flying Wizard's body with a journal. The journal contains extra information; however, you will quickly realize that this mage wasn't in a good state of mind while performing the spell, and it isn't safe, so it's best if the people of Tamriel forget about the new spell.
14 The Werewolf Rings
You can become a Werewolf during the Companions questline in Skyrim's base game, and there's something special waiting for you on Solstheim if you are a Werewolf. If you travel to Frostmoon Crag, then you'll encounter a group of Werewolves that you can speak with if you're a Werewolf.
One of the Werewolves is a merchant that can sell you powerful rings. This merchant's name is Majni, and he sells four rings in total. The Ring Of Instinct, which temporarily slows down time when you enter your Werewolf form. The Ring Of Bloodlust, which makes you deal more damage and take extra damage during combat. The Ring Of The Hunt, which restores your health over time. And the Ring Of The Moon, which increases the duration of your howl ability.
13 Glass Bow Of The Stag Prince
There are many new weapons available on the island of Solstheim, and the Glass Bow Of The Stag Prince is one of the best bows you can acquire within the Dragonborn DLC. This bow becomes stronger when you kill animals with it, which makes powering up this weapon a challenge. If you enjoy hunting or collecting powerful bows, then you should buy the Glass Bow Of The Stag Prince.
You can purchase the Glass Bow Of The Stag Prince from Falas Selvayn at the Ramshackle Trading Post location. If he doesn't sell you the bow, then you may need to pickpocket the weapon from him if you have a high enough Pickpocket skill.
12 Horker Island
There are many small locations on Solstheim that don't have a large effect on the main story, but are interesting to explore nonetheless. Horker Island is one of these locations because Horkers are an interesting enemy type, and you can obtain a unique weapon on this small island. You can also fight a Horker with the unique name of "Lord Tusk."
The unique weapon you can find on Horker Island is Horksbane, which is a Steel Mace that deals extra damage towards Horkers. Although this mace isn't the strongest weapon in the Dragonborn DLC, it's an interesting reward for exploring Horker Island.
11 Kagrumez
Kagrumez is a Dwarven Dungeon that you can explore on Solstheim. What makes this dungeon unique is the puzzle inside that you can only solve if you obtain enough Resonance Gems while exploring other parts of Solstheim during the Dragonborn DLC.
The rewards you can earn inside Kagrumez include a Dwarven Spider follower, a Dwarven Sphere follower, and the Dwarven Black Bow Of Fate. You need four Resonance Gems if you want to earn all three rewards, and you'll have to fight a few enemies inside Kagrumez before you can access the followers or the bow.
10 The Imbuing Chamber And The Spider Scrolls
The spider scrolls are an interesting concept introduced within the Dragonborn expansion pack. You may not know about these spells because they are hidden deep within a dungeon on the island. However, you can obtain a bunch of them by completing the dungeon in its entirety and making it to the Imbuing Chamber.
The spiders act like scrolls, and they are full of magic with lots of different types of abilities and elements, such as fire and frost. You should craft some of these spider scrolls if you get the chance because they're one of the most unique forms of combat in Skyrim.
9 The Riekling Conflict
The conflict between the Rieklings and the Nords on Solstheim is quite an interesting one, and it results in the Dragonborn having to make one of the most difficult choices in the DLC. You might have missed this conflict, which is unfortunate as it's arguably the most interesting quest in the expansion. The Rieklings can even speak human languages, surprisingly.
These little guys and the Nords are feuding over Thirsk Mead Hall and trying to decide who should get to live there. If you help the Rieklings, then you will wipe out the Nords, and the Rieklings will become followers. If you help the Nords, then they will wipe out the Rieklings and reoccupy the hall. Thirsk Mead Hall is an easy location for you to miss, which is why it deserves this spot.
8 Ahzidal's Ring Of Arcana
You can acquire Ahzidal's Ring Of Arcana during the quest "Unearthed" in Kolbjorn Barrow. Freeze and Ignite are the two spells that you'll gain if you wear this ring. Although on the surface, these look like normal spells, they are much more powerful than the average frost and fire spells.
You can obtain this ring by completing the "Unearthed" quest, but unfortunately, a lot of adventurers missed it because of how well-hidden Kolbjorn Barrow is compared to other ruins on the island.
7 The Bloodskal Blade
You can find the Bloodskal Blade in Bloodskaal Barrow during the easy-to-miss quest "The Final Descent." This barrow is fairly well out of the way, so it's understandable if you miss it.
Regardless of how easy it is to miss, it's an interesting quest. The special thing about this sword is that if you use it to perform a heavy attack, you can aim and release a blast of magical force - a unique mechanic that sets it apart from other two-handed swords.
6 Staff Enchanter
The staff enchantment table is inside of the main building of Tel Mithryn, but unfortunately, you can't access it easily because Master Neloth only lets his closest friends use it.
You have to complete a collection of different quests for him if you want any hope of using it, and although it's a really cool table, it's not powerful enough to be worth your time unless you use staves a lot. Because of this, you may have missed it completely on your playthrough of the expansion, and that's why it deserves a spot.
5 Karstaag
You may have missed your chance to venture into this giant's castle and engage in a deadly duel with his ghostly remains. You can adventure down to the depths of the caves near Karstaag's Castle and find his skull lying around.
If you bring Karstaag's skull up to his castle and place it on his throne, a specter of the frost giant will appear before you to fight. When you defeat Karstaag, you'll gain the power to summon this giant while outside; however, it's limited to three uses. This is one of the most satisfyingly challenging fights in Skyrim and serves as a fun callback to Karstaag's appearance in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
4 Haknar Death-Brand's Treasure
This deceased pirate has a bunch of treasure lying around in Gyldenhul Barrow on the island of Solstheim. It's easy to overlook because of how hidden and out of the way the dungeon and associated quest are in relation to the Dragonborn DLC's main quest.
If you complete the "Deathbrand" quest and find his treasure, then you easily obtain over 7,000 gold and a bunch of unique items. It's entirely worth the hunt.
3 Severin Manor
Severin Manor is easy to miss because it requires you to complete the quest "Served Cold" in Raven Rock to obtain it. Inside the house, you'll find a bunch of amenities, such as display dummies to hang your armor on, plentiful storage space, and a nice cozy bed to sleep in.
Completing the "Served Cold" quest to obtain this house is a difficult task, but it's more than worth the effort because of everything this house offers. Although, other player houses are better since you will probably adventure more in Skyrim than in Solstheim.
2 The Hidden Peaks
There are four hidden peaks hidden throughout the island of Solstheim, and you can venture to the top of them on foot, although it's a challenging path to walk. The names of the peaks are Frykte Peak, Hvitkald Peak, Mortrag Peak, and Mount Moesring.
When you do manage to make it to the top of these peaks, you can unlock a new location to fast travel to; however, that is the only reward. It's easy to miss these locations because there's really no point to them other than the sense of accomplishment when making it to the top. This is an amazing easter egg for mountain climbers.
1 Glover Mallory - Member Of The Thieves Guild
Glover Mallory is a blacksmith that you can meet when you visit Raven Rock. However, many citizens of Raven Rock don't know who he actually is. Glover Mallory has a Thieves Guild mark on his house, signaling that he is part of the Guild, and he even has family involved in the organization.
Delvin Mallory is his brother, and Sapphire is his daughter, although she doesn't know it. Glover Mallory will eventually allow you to take some useful items from his house if you complete the quest "Paid In Full," and you'll find a bunch of different goodies to loot in his basement. You can even take a note inside of Glover's house to Sapphire, and she will have some unique dialogue concerning it. Take some time to talk to Glover the next chance you get; you won't regret it.