The player has beaten Skyrim. Not just by defeating Alduin but by becoming the leader of guilds like the Dark Brotherhood, Companions, and the Thieves Guild. The player has likely also already completed the DLC main quests and has defeated the First Dragonborn and prevented Harkon from pursuing a prophecy that would block out the sun. So….what now?
Skyrim is a vast game and contains a large number of quests, collectibles, and other miscellaneous details. But without some direction, finding some of these things can be a bit difficult. Still, regardless of what the player chooses to do, there is a decent amount of things the player can do once they beat the game.
Create the Perfect Home in Skyrim
There are several purchasable properties across Skyrim. One way the player can spend their time is to create their ideal base. Put some gear on display, place unique items on weapon racks, organize containers to hold specific types of items, etc. There are few things that can serve as a hallmark of a playthrough like a personalized player home.
This is especially true for the properties added by the Hearthfire DLC, which allows the Dragonborn to build a home tailored to their preference. Playing an alchemist? Get a property and build an alchemist tower alongside their greenhouse. Playing as an academic mage? Build an enchanter’s tower and a library.
Become the Thane for All of Skyrim
Being the Dragonborn who defeated Alduin is all well and good, but what if the player wants their character to have even more prestige? To have another title. Each Jarl in the province is allowed to grant the player the title of Thane if they gain enough of a positive reputation in their hold. This will grant the Dragonborn access to a new weapon to serve as a badge of office, the privilege to buy property in certain holds, and the ability to have the guards turn away from a crime once.
The player will need to complete a few quests around the hold, but the main reward isn’t really the Thane title itself. It is the stories and experiences found along the way. Ask around Morthal and the player may uncover a vampire plot. Hang around Windhelm and the Dragonborn may get involved in a murder mystery. In Solitude? The player may hear about a disturbance in a cave that turns out to be home to a coven of witches attempting to resurrect an ancient and powerful necromancer. When all is said and done, the player should be feeling like a local hero.
Craft and Collect Gear in Skyrim
There are several pieces of unique gear in Skyrim. Some of them are rather lackluster, like The Longhammer that can be found in Liar’s Retreat or the Pale Blade from Frostmere Crypt. But some are more interesting and powerful. These include several daedric artifact like the Mace of Molag Bal and the Ebony Mail. They can be acquired all throughout Skyrim by completing a variety of daedric quests, and some of these quests can even be initiated in capital holds. What about those dragon priest masks that the player occasionally finds in Nordic ruins? There’s actually an unmarked quest in the Labyrinthian where the player can turn in all 8 of them for a secret hidden mask. Just continue exploring and eventually, the Dragonborn will encounter some of these unique items.
But of course, not all gear has to be found. Some of them can be crafted. If the Dragonborn has a decent amount of skill in either enchanting or blacksmithing, the player can craft a variety of impressive gear. This includes armor made of dragon parts and weapons with incredibly powerful enchantments. Be it for aesthetics or power, the player can continue playing the game by obtaining some of the most powerful gear in the game.
Fight Hidden Bosses in Skyrim
But what’s the point of collecting all that armor if the player doesn’t use it? The best thing the Dragonborn can do in these circumstances is to go out and find some hidden bosses. Some of them are easy enough to find by just exploring. Think of dragon priests that can be found in ruins or unique enemies like Haldyn who can be found in the quest titled “Rise in the East”. Most of them are not too difficult, but they can still provide the player a decent bit of entertainment.
But there are some more challenging bosses who can only be found through more esoteric means. One example is the dragon Vulthuryol, who can only be found if the Dragonborn uses the unrelenting force shout on the giant dwemeri orb in Blackreach. Another is the frost giant known as Karstaag, who the Dragonborn can summon if they pilfer his skull from Glacial Cave and place it on his throne in the Castle Karstaag Ruins. Or how about fighting the Reaper in the Soul Cairn by finding his lair and placing three reaper shards in his chest?
Mods for Skyrim
This only applies for PCs and the more advanced consoles (ex. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), but mods are an excellent option for those who want to drastically increase their ability to play Skyrim. Mods can do practically anything from reskinning enemies to adding entirely new regions for the player to explore. They can change graphics, add new armor varieties, change NPC dynamics, add player homes, etc. If the player wants something, then odds are someone had a made a mod for it.
The best part? It’s all free and the modding community itself is considerably large. Which means even in 2020 new mods and mod updates are still coming out regularly. That activity combined with a vast repository of older mods means players with access to them will likely have no shortage of potential content for any playthrough.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows PCs, and Nintendo Switch
