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 join, 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 Skyrim 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 contact 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 support 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 Remember," 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.
“Legally” Steal Merchants’ Inventories From Hidden Chests
There are plenty of funny bugs and glitches in Skyrim's engine, but it can also be taken advantage of for financial gain. While purchasing goods from merchants is the normal way to acquire their wares, it’s also possible exploit the game’s design to take everything for free. In Skyrim, merchants’ inventories are tied to hidden, invisible chests scattered around towns, and each is filled with goods that endlessly respawn and won’t count as stolen. Finding these treasure troves may take some out-of-game research. Even when players know where they are, some are pretty difficult to access. It may not be the most immersive way to make a profit, but it’s one of the quickest.
Find The Headless Horseman
Vampires, animated skeletons, and other supernatural entities are common in Skyrim, but the Headless Horseman is an entity that's much more elusive. Finding him is more about luck than anything the player can do intentionally as his nightly spawn is randomly generated and can be anywhere in the game.
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The horseman won’t attack and can’t be damaged, but players patient enough to follow him all the way to Hamvir’s Rest (a tomb located south of the mountains between Whiterun and Hjaalmarch) will be treated to a few enemies and some loot.
Instantly Kill Forsworn Briarhearts Without Combat
Briarhearts may be difficult enemies to take down, but for players with the right skill investments, there’s an easier way to deal with them than normal combat. In the world of Skyrim, these partially undead combatants are created by having their human heart removed and replaced with the plant called a briar heart. These enemies are gifted with incredible hearing, but players with high enough sneak and the right stealth spells can sneak up on them and pickpocket their briar hearts leaving a hole in their chest and killing them instantly.
Weaponize Spiders In The Imbuing Chamber
Spiders may not be one of Skyrim's most challenging enemies, but they are some of the most common. When first starting the Skyrim campaign, spiders are some of the first non-human enemies players have to defeat. While these eight-legged monsters are common enemies throughout the adventure, there’s also a way to weaponize smaller arachnids into your own tools of destruction. Inside of White Ridge Barrow, players can find a spot called the Imbuing Chamber. This crafting station, unlike the others in the game, allows for the crafting of spider scrolls, which let the player wield spiders that explode, pounce, burn, freeze, and more.
Destroy The Dark Brotherhood Instead Of Joining It
Skyrim has quite a few lengthy quest chains, but destroying the Dark Brotherhood is one of the most satisfying for players who don't want to go along with murdering innocents. Instead of ignoring the Dark Brotherhood quest line, more virtuous players can actually destroy the guild. This optional quest can be activated after Astrid kidnaps the player and tasks them with killing one of three hooded figures. By killing Astrid instead of one of the captives, the “Destroy the Dark Brotherhood” quest will initiate and have the Dragonborn take out the entire Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.