Role-playing games are one of the most popular video game genres available and Bethesda has been one of the key players in the gaming industry, developing a great number of RPG titles for all the major platforms out there. The Elder Scrolls is one such title that has enjoyed great popularity among gamers, even leading up to the creation of the popular “Arrow to the Knee” meme at one point. The fifth installment in this series, called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, also simply known as Skyrim, was released after The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda's Creation Engine underwent a major overhaul for the creation of this game and while it did have some bugs at launch, it quickly became one of the most popular games. While the core game was fun in itself, players wanted more and Bethesda was not going to disappoint, as three different DLC add-ons with additional content were later released.
Fans of the series already know that the game is filled with many tidbits and a great number of things to do, which holds true for the DLCs as well. Some of these are easier to find, while others can be difficult even for the veterans of the series. So, whether you're new to Skyrim or have been playing for a while, this list will help you discover things you didn't even know existed in Skyrim's extra content.
30 Making The Aurora Appear
The shout that comes in handy when you need to see your enemies clearly on any day, otherwise also known as the Clear Skies, helps to clear out any weather mishaps in the area, especially if you don’t know where your enemies are during storms or when you want to have a clear view.
Having considered it as being a unique shout due to its properties, it has various uses, especially when used at night. Clear Skies will clear any clouds to reveal a mesmerizing display of auroras across the night sky. The aurora also benefits in the final battle if Alduin casts his meteorite, allowing you to use the shout to counter it.
29 Hidden Daedric Quest
The small village of Rorikstead, where everyone is peacefully living their lives and farming pleasantly, has numerous conspiracies hinting that the people of the village actually worship Daedric gods. Players also claim to have found books and soul gems that are used for greater purposes. Alongside the conspiracies, there exists a quest if you are of level 14 or above and it triggers when you are being challenged by a mage known as Sam Guevenne.
The little mage challenges you to a game in which you obviously lose and wake up later to discover that you have caused a lot of ruckus for a Dragonborn. Later on, while you travel across the map, if you happen to land in Morvunskar, he will let you know that he is a Daedric Prince. As a reward for not letting anyone know, he will give you a Sanguine Rose and you will be instantly teleported back to the tavern.
28 Reassignment Of Skills
Ever get tired of registering the wrong perk in the skill tree by mistake? Well, in the Dragonborn DLC, it is all possible to reset your perks regardless of any skill tree. For this to happen, you need to have the Dragonborn DLC installed, learn the shout known as dragon aspect, be legendary, and need to have the Book of the Black, which is one of the seven books scattered across Solstheim.
Once you have finished the main quest of the Dragonborn DLC, read the book and it will instantly teleport you to the summit of Apocrypha. There, you will be able to reset your perks in the respective skill tree all for the cost of one dragon soul, after which you can reallocate to whatever skill tree you see fit.
27 Scaling Of NPCs Exists
Like every other game, scaling exists in Skyrim as well. Most of the enemies have fixed levels, for example, a giant will have a level of 32, and if a player's level is lower, then a giant can destroy them in one hit, but if the level of the player is above that of a giant, then they can easily battle them. Furthermore, much like enemies, every area has a specific level scale coupled with it as well.
Given dungeon A, it has a scale from level 10-20, and when the player first enters the area, the scale becomes locked, so dungeon A would be level 10 if you reached it when your character was level 6, or it would be level 20 if your character was level 27 when he found it. This way, each area has a set degree of enemy difficulty that forces low-level players to stay away while making high-level players breeze through easy areas. Concerning the levels, the loot can also be scaled; so a low-level character that manages to loot a high-level dungeon will receive better loot than what he would normally receive.
26 Stones Grant A Permanent Buff
The Standing Stones offer bonus magical abilities and there are about thirteen stones across the Skyrim universe. At max, only one stone can remain active depending on what you want, but if you have the Dawnguard DLC installed and progress further within it, you can activate two stones at a time if you were to possess the Aetherial Crown.
Its properties are that it will retain one effect in the crown, making sure the user can utilize both actives and grant additional stat to the existing Standing Stone effects. When you go toward any stone you want to activate, both powers take effect altogether, and if the Dragonborn were to re-equip this item, it would remove the recent Standing Stone effect and retain the older one.
25 Sleepy Hollow is real
The headless horseman is the spectral of a rider who roams around the night time of Skyrim wandering the streets searching for its final rest. He will spawn between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., and if you were to encounter him, the NPC will flee and leave behind its trail to follow.
If the player pursues the rider, it will lead them to Hamvir’s rest, where the player will be ambushed by skeletons and Draugr’s. Once dealt with, the player will receive a master-chest and some nightshade as rewards. After discovering this place, if the Dragonborn was to fast-travel to Hamvir’s rest, they can see the headless horseman standing over his grave and will not move an inch unless the Dragonborn loses sight of him.
24 Exploding Spiders
Skyrim originally had scrolls for this type of magic usage in the game, but if one has the DLC, then anything is possible. The spider imbuing chamber has a lot of uses for a player to experiment with, for example, creating frost spiders, jumping spiders, or the most famous among players, the exploding flame spiders.
Once you have cleared the island Solstheim and the area known as White Ridge Barrow, it will open up the chamber where you can craft these creatures using Albino Spiders and one ruby gem. After the spider has been crafted, the player can throw it like a grenade or just generally hurl it toward the enemy.
23 Stones Of Barenziah
As you progress into the game and delve deeper into explorations, you will come across unusual gems known as the Stones of Barenziah. In total, there are 24 of these, and if collected and brought to the appraiser, they are of big value.
Once the set is complete, go back to Riften and visit Vex in the Thieves Guild. There, it will be revealed that you should search for the crown, which can be retrieved in Tolvald’s cave located in Ansilvund, east of Shor’s Watchtower. Upon completion of the full quest, you will be awarded Prowlers Profit, which increases chances of finding rare gems and items along the quest.
22 Strongest Dragonborn NPCs/Enemies
There are numerous enemies in the game that are tough to battle, but some of them will send you flying with one whack of their weapon, and the Ebony Warrior is a perfect example. When you reach level 80 in the game, this NPC will meet you and ask to duel, requesting that you send his soul to Sovngarde once and for all. Do not take his invitation lightly, though, as he has an ample amount of abilities hidden under his belt (ebony armor and dragon shout). Yet, the strongest of them all is Karstaag.
Karstaag is a frost giant that can be summoned in the Castle Karstaag Ruins. Go to the glacial cave located in northern Solstheim to summon him by finding his skull and placing it on the altar. After defeating him, you will earn a power to summon him into battle three times.
21 Pale Lady
The Pale Lady is another name for Wispmother, who is encountered in the Frostmere Crypt. This is also the side quest after meeting a bandit named Eisa Blackthorn, who is being attacked by her own group who have accused her of stealing. If she survives, you can ask her what happened and she will tell you about the Pale Blade, which can be found deeper into the cave as it has two levels. It is also where the dragon shout is located in ice form.
Once you find the sword, it depends on whether you want to give it back or take it. Both choices do not really matter since it is a side quest, but if you keep the sword, you get to battle the Pale Lady and once defeated, you get to keep the blade. If you activate the pedestal of the sword, it will be taken from your inventory and the Pale Lady will go away; however, this is an exclusive quest for the Dawnguard DLC.
20 Forbidden Legend
This side-quest involves the Gauldur legend and finding out whether the amulet has been lost or not. There are various ways to activate this quest: you can either follow the quest line of Winterhold or just read the book in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. If you happen to be in Whiterun, go to the wizard’s courtroom and read the title “Lost Legends.” Once either one of these activation routes has been taken, the quest will begin.
In order to complete this quest, the player needs to find all the Gauldur Amulets and forge them into one. For this, the player needs to travel to Reachwater Rock, which is south of Sky Haven Temple. Once there, look out for the cave as you will come across the Emerald Claw on a deceased Nord. After the cave has been cleared of Draugrs, you will be able to forge the Amulet that gives you additional stats on health, stamina, and magic.
19 The Map Is Alive
The map is true to its nature in many circumstances, especially when the players want to reach a certain location by fast traveling to their destination. But, some may be surprised to learn that they actually do miss out on a lot by not visiting the map as it updates almost everything by itself over a given period of time. For example, if you were to clear out a certain dragon shout quest and you have slain the dragon, as soon as the soul transfers to you, pause the game and view it on the map. You will see a sky-view light reaching out from Skyrim and into your player.
Even more, when the dragon is defeated, after a certain period of time, there will be another powerful dragon waiting for you if you were to visit the dragon shrine again. If you use the Clear Skies shout and quickly hover the map, you can see that the clouds over the mountain sky will disappear in real time. It is details like these that make Skyrim a great game.
18 The Orange Blob
In the dungeons of Dwarven Ruins Alftand, you can find the buried treasure alongside a few Dwarven artifacts lurking by. To reach this specific dungeon, you need to go to Blackreach, which can be found near Winterhold. Once you scour deeper in the dungeon, you will reach a place called Silent City, where you can mine various materials such as ore, gold, and defeat elite enemies.
But, there exists an orange lantern just above the Blackreach Debate Hall and the Hall of Rumination. Once there, you will be greeted by Falmer and its servants, whom you have to fight your way through. Afterwards, use Unrelenting Force on the orange, sun-like lantern and it will release the ancient dragon known as Vulthuryol. It is a dragon that has been hiding or perhaps sleeping its way through the ages just to be defeated by none other than the Dragonborn himself.
17 Thieves Guild And Its Inventory
As you travel across the Skyrim universe, you will encounter various things along the way, but one of the most interesting places is in Riften, where the Thieves Guild awaits underneath the sewers. Once you know and get yourself acquainted, try finding the book labeled Shadowmarks. These shadow marks are basically used as a means of communication between the members of the guild.
Only a member can leave behind a mark on the building to show whether there is something of value available or whether it is safe or not for a member to loot from. In the book, there are various marks for the player to get accustomed to. These markings are mainly found in Whiterun and Riften, so try looking for them the next time you want to loot around as it can help in a lot of ways.
16 Heartaches And Forsworns
The forsworn are really annoying when it comes down to fighting them, either with melee or range. Often, it is better to avoid them at all costs as they swarm in and attack you on sight without warning. Also, trouble brews further when their leader strikes from afar and shoots you down with magic spells.
If you have Muffle unlocked and Sneak is just high enough, you can pick-pocket their heart, resulting in instant defeat. This is not as easy as it sounds, but if you have Muffle and Invisibility, it can help you land a powerful blow in no time.
15 Daedrics And Past Times
Usually when spoken about Daedra, they are known as demons or gods, who inhabited the lands of Tamriel before mortals were born. In Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, there exists only 17 Daedra Princes, although most of them take different forms of whatever the particular perceives, and there is such a prince that inhabits a poor soul in Solitude.
Start the quest by listening to the Winking Skeever rumors about a man wandering the streets. Once you enter the NPC's mind, you will find the Daedra Prince waiting for you to do his bidding. After the insanity has been cured from their mind, he rewards you with a staff known as Wabbajack, which has various effects and acts on a random basis in the hands of the Dragonborn.
14 Reusable Gemstone
A soul gem is basically a magical stone that accommodates the soul of the non-living, mainly used for enchanting your weapons and armor piece. If you want to imbue magical elements into your weapon, for example, a burning effect when you strike, you need to go through the process known as Enchanting.
A neat trick is for you to get done with the quest known as The Black Star, which is located at the Shrine of Azura just south of Winterhold. All you need to decide at the end of the quest is to give the star to one of the two NPCs, each having different consequences, but nonetheless end up having an endlessly reusable soul gem.
13 Infinite Arrows
In the long run, where you want to have an archer or maybe master the archery tree, arrows can become a problem as they run short every time you need them the most. This trick works almost anywhere in Skyrim as all you need to do is find guards practicing archery, or any bandit for that matter. For example, in Whiterun, whenever the guards are practicing their aim, go ahead and collect the arrows.
If you want a higher chance for better loot, you will need to increase your perks in the sneak tree with Light Fingers and Misdirection. Also, another plus point would be if you were on good terms with the Thieves Guild since they have bonus active skills, which could help you loot better.
12 Blackreach Tidbit
The town of the ancient dwarves, which is now overrun with Dwemers, Falmers, and an ancient dragon, allows you to loot a lot of gold within the mines, helping with your development in the game later on.
As this town is underground and is the only one that has a stable environment around it, there are shouts one could use to clear out the enemy, such as Storm Call. Also, if call your dragon, it will come out to help, which is something that is not possible in other dungeons.
11 Be A Master At Mining
In most RPG games, there is always the system of grinding, whether it is for the gear you are trying to achieve (which has a lot of materials), how the weapon you want to make has a higher magic requirement, or your initial level is low for a certain area. Considering most of the material in Skyrim is used by mining certain Veins (ingot needs iron ore), going through the mining process is slow.
However, there are ways to mine faster from a node. The fastest way is to use Elemental Fury, which will drastically increase the speed of your mining and will eliminate enemies around you in no time. Another trick is to dual-wield pickaxes, helping you strike faster and resulting in more ores.