Skyrim is a giant, sprawling open-world game with hundreds of hours of gameplay and many unique treasures to plunder. As such, there are lots of items that players of Skyrim missed their chance to collect, as well as locations that they just walked by without a second thought.
With so many different things to do in Skyrim, it is near impossible to see everything on just one playthrough, and because of that, many players never got the chance to see or collect everything that the game has to offer. From ghostly horses to books full of history, here are 10 things that players completely missed in Skyrim!
10 Karstaag
Karstaag is the ghost of a frost giant that resides on Solstheim. It was originally introduced in Morrowind , and it is the most powerful enemy in Skyrim. It can be fought by finding its skull in the caves below its chambers and returning it to its throne. Once it is defeated the Dragonborn can summon its spirit to fight for them on 3 separate occasions.
Because of how powerful Karstaag is, most players will never get a chance to defeat or even fight Karstaag which makes this encounter a rarity among the average player. It is a shame that many players missed this fight because although it is challenging, it is also extremely fun!
9 Lore Books
The books in the Elder Scrolls universe provide in-depth lore about the world players are adventuring in. However, they don't offer much in terms of gameplay for the average player that just to wants to complete quests and go on adventures, so many players end up glossing over the books entirely. There are however a few books in Skyrim that initiate quests but they are far and few between.
It is unfortunate that many players just walk by the books in Skyrim because there are many memorable books in the game, some give useful insight into the game and some are satirical. Hopefully, future Skyrim players will take the time to read some of these interesting stories and learn more about the Elder Scrolls universe.
8 The Blades Questline
The Dragonborn is able to recruit three followers for the Blades and also complete dragon-slaying tasks for the Blades. These things can only be done once Paarthurnax is slain by the Dragonborn. Because most players don't want to kill their favorite dragon Paarthurnax, most won't get the chance to complete these small quests and help return the Blades to glory.
The Blades don't give enough special rewards to be worth spending time on these quests, so it makes sense that most players would skip them in return for being friendly with the Greybeards. Many players also forget that the blades are there once they complete the main questline which makes these quests even easier to miss.
7 Lost To The Ages
Lost to the Ages is a quest in Skyrim's Dawnguard, DLC and it is easily missed because it is completely separate from the vampire questline that Dawnguard is known for. This quest takes the player on a hunt for Aetherium Shards, so the player can craft 1 of 3 special Aetherium items. There are 3 to choose from, a staff, a crown, and a shield.
The items that the Dragonborn can obtain by completing this quest have powerful Enchantments and, unfortunately, the quest is very easy to accidentally miss. The quest is activated by reading the book called "The Aetherium Wars."
6 Forbidden Legend
The quest Forbidden Legend can be activated by reading the Lost Legends book. There are very few locations where this book is found, so it is an easy quest to miss while adventuring in Skyrim. This quest will lead the player to three different dungeons to find three different fragments of a lost amulet.
The reward for completing these quests is a necklace called the Gauldur Amulet, and it is a very strong piece of jewelry that boosts all three of the player's stats, health, stamina, and magicka by 30 points each. This is one of the strongest pieces of jewelry in the game and it's a perfect addition to the collection of any treasure hunter!
5 Konahrik Mask
The Konahrik Dragon Priest mask can only be acquired once the Dragonborn has collected every other Dragon Priest mask. There are nine other masks required to collect this mask and its enchantment is extremely powerful.
The Konahrik mask's effect gives it a chance to heal the Dragonborn when they are low on health and inflict damage on any nearby enemies. This mask is difficult to collect, so it deserves a spot on this list as an item in Skyrim that most players never got the chance to find, and most don't even know it exists.
4 Frost
Frost is a uniquely named white horse that the player can own by completing the quest Promises to Keep. It is one of the only named horses in the game which makes it a rarity in Skyrim.
To add to Frost's uniqueness, it also has more health and stamina points than the average Skyrim steed and is known to be more aggressive in combat. There are not many horses that will fight for the Dragonborn as loyally as Frost which makes this a horse that any player should have by their side.
3 Werewolf Form
Although there are a good amount of Skyrim players that are aware of this form's existence, new players playing their first playthrough often miss out on their chance to get the Werewolf form. This form is given to the player when they become a part of the Companion's secret group, the Circle.
The Werewolf form is very powerful, and, while transformed, the player is faster and deals large amounts of damage with their newfound claws. Unfortunately, the Dragonborn can't be both a vampire and werewolf at one time, so they will have to choose if they want to become a werewolf. The incredible strength that comes with this form along with the secrecy of the Circle makes this form a perfect candidate for this list.
2 Arvak
Arvak is a summonable steed, and the spell to summon it can be acquired in the Soul Cairn. Arvak is a black horse skeleton that has glowing purple flames coming out of the cracks of its bones.
Arvak is extremely useful because it can't die and it can be summoned and ridden while on the island of Solstheim, where no other horse is able to be ridden. Because of how easy it is to miss, the chance to get this horse while in the Soul Cairn this is one amazing thing that many players completely missed in Skyrim.
1 Prowler's Profit
Prowler's Profit is a passive perk that will aid any player in becoming an extremely wealthy adventurer. This perk gives the player a chance to find rare expensive gems in any container that gems are usually found in. The extremely high chance of finding gems that this perk gives makes it incredibly powerful especially if the player has a high speech stat.
The Prowler's Profit perk can be acquired by completing the "No Stone Unturned" quest, which is given out by the thieves guild member Vex. The quest has the Dragonborn searching for the 24 Stones of Barenziah. Having to collect all of the stones is a daunting task, and, for this reason, many players never get the chance to obtain this perk and become filthy rich!