Skyrim is one of the most popular fantasy video games of all time, which owes something to the fact that it's been released on so many different platforms in so many different versions that it's become a meme. Though its continued releases may draw chuckles from fans, there's no doubt that Skyrim is an incredibly influential and beloved game
There are dungeons galore, several guilds to , and quests hidden in the strangest of places. Even if players created multiple characters for multiple playthroughs spanning hundreds of hours, they probably still won't have discovered everything the game has to offer.
Updated Oct. 30, 2021 by Quinn Levandoski: The Elder Scrolls entry may be almost a decade old, but there are plenty of fun things to do in Skyrim that many players still don't know about. While the game's main quests and central characters are well worth spending time with, part of the reason for the game's enduring popularity is that there are a ton of secrets and Easter eggs to uncover. Whether it be new enemies, secret locations, or hidden ways to work around the game's engine, even players around since the beginning are likely to have more to find.
Play Through A Quest That Was Cut From The Final Game
There are several questlines that were never resolved, but one of them never even starts. Even those who have explored most of the College of Winterhold are probably not privy to the information about a specific quest that doesn't have any markers, journal entries, or any other indication that it exists at all. There are a few corpses scattered around the campus of the college, but without exploring very meticulously they'd remain unfound. They're the corpses of students at the college who had been studying various occult sciences only to run into very unfortunate mishaps later on. If players look through the college hard enough, they'll find corpses with some pretty decent items on them.
The Pale Lady
There are different ways for players to add this quest to their journal, but none of them are incredibly apparent straightaway. There are a few bandits with whom adventurers will come in outside of Frostmere Cave, but once they're done squabbling, players can get in there and grab the quest. The Dragonborn can either talk to Eisa Blackthorn if she wasn't killed by the bandits, search her journal if she's dead, or pickpocket-read her journal. She'll then tell the player about an artifact in the cave that has a restless spirit attached to it. The Dragonborn can either lay the spirit to rest or banish it and steal the sword.
Kolb And The Dragon
This book appears in a few different locations, but it's a surprise the book is in the game at all. The people who hold the copyright for Choose Your Own Adventure books actually sued the company behind Black Mirror: Bandersnatch for using the multiple-path story format, but Kolb and the Dragon seems to have slipped by unscathed.
Despite that whole debacle, there exists a book in Skyrim that follows the Choose Your Own Adventure format, and it's called Kolb and The Dragon. While it's not very long, there are branching paths, and it's not only a good way to spend 15 minutes but one of the more fun things to do in Skyrim.
The Abandoned Prison
One of the most interesting hidden areas in Skyrim is the Abandoned Prison. It's located in the hold of Eastmarch, just slightly northwest of Fort Amol. When the Dragonborn decides to take upon themselves the exploration of the Abandoned Prison, they'll quickly discover that there was a gruesome fate that befell many of the characters that became trapped in the prison by a storm. As if the storm weren't enough to provide a threat to the people guarding the prison, it's also discovered that a giant plot from the inmates to overthrow their wardens was underway. Aside from the interesting story, there are also a few books inside of the prison that are rather interesting.
Never-Ending Arrows
This one isn't a quest so much as a really fun exploit. Any characters that use bows will find this glitch one of the best things to do in Skyrim. The glitch allows the player to spawn infinite arrows, meaning they'll never have to buy or loot them again.
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All players have to do is find an NPC that's practicing their archery, take a high-quality arrow, pickpocket all of the archer's current arrows, drop the arrows in, and then run up to the target they're practicing on and snatch up the arrows! Even if only one arrow is given to them, they will continue to fire an endless stream at their target.
Frostflow
In the remote Frostflow Lighthouse is a quest that most people probably miss. It's obtained by entering the central room of the lighthouse. Once players have received the quest, they'll be told that there was a mysterious murder that took place in the location of everyone who resided there.
It's up to the Dragonborn to figure out who or what did it, mostly by searching through journals and other documentation that'll lead the player into a mysterious tunnel that opens up in the basement of the lighthouse. Although the quest seems to be pretty straightforward, that doesn't mean it's easy. The abandoned lighthouse is full of Falmer and Chaurus, making it wise to stock up before entering.
Darkeethus
Sadly for all of the Argonian enthusiast fans of Skyrim, people frequently miss a valuable follower named Darkeethus. Darkeethus is a miner who lives in Darkwater where several incredibly rude Falmer hold him captive. Unfortunately for Darkeethus, no one really talks about him enough for the Dragonborn to realize that he even exists. If the Dragonborn does catch wind of him, they'll travel over to Darkwater, kill all of the Falmer, and free him from his slavery. He's the only possible Argonian follower in the entire game, and once he's rescued the Dragonborn also has the ability to marry him. If they do, he'll open up a shop.
Rorikstead
There's a small village near Whiterun that likely everyone who's actually played Skyrim has spent some time in. Known as Rorik's Steading back in the First Era, Rorikstead is a fairly simple little farming community equipped with a blacksmith and everything else needed to an entire village's worth of people. One of the main things that the Dragonborn might do in Rorikstead is go through the quest "A Night To ," in which the Dragonborn spends a Hangover-like night with a friend that they then have to investigate.
During this night, the Dragonborn may steal a goat or convince some guy's family that he should be an adventurer. Interestingly, everyone in town has soul gems and books on Daedra and they speak of "their secret." It's implied that they're all Daedra worshippers.
Rise In The East
Pirates? In Skyrim? Absolutely. "Rise in the East" is a quest that takes place along the coast in Windhelm, Dawnstar, and Japhet's Folly. The East Empire Company is doing its best to retain an establishment of their company in the areas mentioned, but unfortunately, they've constantly been plagued by the fact that a group of pirates known as the Blood Horkers has been attacking all of their shipments and expropriating their supplies. This quest is slightly out of the way, but one of the most fun things about it is that after the player has stolen journals, killed the mage leader of the Blood Horkers, and generally made sure everything is squared away, they might encounter some other Blood Horkers who'll do their best to get their revenge.
Liar's Retreat
Perhaps one of the most frustrating places players can go if they completely run out of other cool things to do in Skyrim is Liar's Retreat, one of the only dungeons that includes no shortcut from the end of the dungeon to the beginning. This is also a unique dungeon because it's one of the only ones in the game that's under attack from the Falmer by the time the player gets there. The Falmer have basically tunneled their way from another local ruin into the Liar's Retreat, and aren't too excited to see the bandits that are inside. If the Dragonborn wasn't already annoyed that they had to backtrack, the leader of the bandits shows up, and he's not happy, thinking the Dragonborn did it. That being said, there's a unique orcish hammer inside.
