Highlights
- Skyrim has hidden unmarked locations that provide lore about the game, some with unique quests and rewards for players.
- From Angi's Camp to The Chill and Yisra's Testing Ground, these locations offer treasure, skills, and immersive storytelling.
- The Four High Peaks of Solstheim and Bard's Leap Summit are examples of hidden gems worth exploring in Skyrim's vast province.
Skyrim has been out for years and, while most of us have hundreds of hours in this game, it's surprising how many secret and unmarked locations still go unnoticed to this day. While some locations were simply left there for players to find random loot during their travels across the province, others are intricately laid out scenes that can tell us a lot about the lore of Skyrim.
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Many of these locations remain the subject of speculation as to what may have happened and why they're there in the first place. It all goes to show how committed the developers were when making the game.
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20 Angi's Camp
A Nord Woman's Home To Hide From The Imperial Legion
This is a marked location once discovered, but Angi’s Camp can be a little hard to find. It’s tucked in the mountains southeast of Halldir’s Cairn and west of Bloodlet Throne. A Nord woman named Angi lives here in solitude because she’s avoiding the Imperial Legion after killing two soldiers who killed her parents. Her house is small, but there is a skill book players can read to level up their archery, and a treasure map as well.
What makes her home unique is the archery range she has. If players feel like testing their skills, Angi will give them some challenges to test their speed and accuracy. Should players be successful in passing her tests, Angi will give them her bow as a reward.
19 Froki's Shack
Home To An Old Nord Archer And His Grandson
Another hidden home tucked in the mountains, Froki’s Shack can be found southeast of Ivarstead and east of Autumnwatch Tower. Living here is an old man named Froki and his grandson, Hamig. Talking to Froki will give players the option to do a quest. Other than this, there’s not much to do around here.
However, a semi-rare item can be found in this shack. If players walk over to the chopping block near Froki’s Shack, the Diadem of the Savant accessory can be found. A shrine of Talos can also be found further south up the mountains, with an archery skill book and a few items.
18 The Chill
Winterhold's Jail Lives Up To Its Name In A Lot Of Ways
If players go to jail in Winterhold, they will find themselves locked in an unmarked location known as The Chill. Located northeast of Septimus Signus’s Outpost, The Chill is found on an island with Frost Atronachs guarding the entrance, and one Frost Atronach inside the cave as well. There are barrels of food where the jail cells are, and some skeletons in the jail cells.
All around the island are ore veins that players can mine. Just be wary of the wolves, horkers, bears, and sabre cats. If players are playing in Survival Mode, it’s best to dress warmly and have camping supplies just in case the cold becomes too much for them.
17 Yisra's Testing Ground
A Former Student's Experiment Goes Awry
Found on the shoreline east of Dawnstar and south of Yngvild is the charred corpse of a Yisra. She’s a former student at the College of Winterhold who went missing with three other students, and they were supposed to be part of a side quest. Sadly, the quest got cut, but it’s worth finding her testing ground. While Yisra wasn’t successful in her experiments, players will find a Fire Cloak spell book near her corpse.
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This is especially handy if players haven’t leveled up their Destruction skill line enough to buy it from merchants or court wizards, or if they just want to save money. The Fire Cloak spell comes in handy for Survival Mode, especially in the icy terrain of northern Skyrim. It’ll make swimming through cold water a lot easier.
16 Hagraven Nest
A Hagraven Doesn't Like It When Someone Takes Her Treasure
Just to the left of Ragnvald and up the mountain is a small and ominous camp. If players look closely, they’ll quickly notice it’s a Hagraven’s home. There’s a small tent, an altar, and a dead goat. What’s interesting is that the Hagraven is nowhere to be seen when players approach the area, but that doesn’t mean she’s not around.
A chest can be found in the camp. If players loot it, the Hagraven who owns the camp appears and is hostile. No matter the player's level, Hagravens hit pretty hard with their magic, so players should be ready to deal with that.
15 Harmugstahl
A Warlock's Hideaway To Experiment On Frostbite Spiders
This becomes a marked location once players discover it, but it’s a pretty easy one to miss. It can be found east of Dragontooth and northwest of Karthwasten. There is a slight chance this location will be chosen for a radiant quest, but other than that, players will most likely miss this it. Tucked in a cliff, the only visible part of the fort is the door, the stairs that lead to it, and the lit braziers.
Players won’t find much here. There’s no quest within the fort, but players will run into an adventurer near the entrance. The adventurer will tell the player that the spiders there are enchanted and leaves after that. Should players decide to explore the fort, they’ll find the warlock responsible for creating the enchanted spiders and some random leveled loot, but nothing more.
14 Battle Arena In Blackreach
The Dwemer Appeared To Be Fans Of A Good Fight
Blackreach is an area that most players try to get out of as soon as possible and for good reason. Though the area is dark and beautifully lit by Dwemer technology and plants, there are a lot of enemies everywhere. However, those who are brave enough to explore will find this interesting area in it. This appears to be a battle arena as there’s a platform at the center and a spinning blade will pop up. There are stone benches next and facing the platform.
It appears to be a battle arena, which is a little surprising coming from the Dwemer. They often held themselves in high regard and as more refined than all other races (even the haughty High Elves), but it seems even they loved to watch a good fight and enjoyed a bit of blood sport.
13 Lost Prospect Mine's Hidden Nook
A Miner's Tragic Resting Place
At first glance, Lost Prospect Mine seems like any other mine in Skyrim. However, this mine is empty of ore veins, or at least that’s what it seems like. A miner’s journal can be found and reveals the events of what happened. Two friends were hoping to score big from buying this mine, but to no avail. The journal's author went to Riften to get some supplies while his friend Bern stayed behind in hopes of finding gold. When the author got back, Bern was missing, and the former assumed the latter abandoned him.
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If players go behind the waterfall in the mine, they will find that there is gold veins here. Sadly, it seems like Bern found it, but was crushed to death by the rocks. A sad ending for him, but at least players will have three gold ore veins they can mine.
12 Hidden Treasure Island
Two People Find Buried Treasure And Won't Let Anyone Take It From Them
Should players find themselves walking along Lake Geir to the east of Ivarstead, there’s a chance of finding a small camping area with a note. The note doesn’t reveal much other than the author buried some treasure at the edge of the lake. If players look at the small island not too far away from the camp, two people can be found there.
They’ll warn the player if they get too close and will attack if their warnings go unheeded. After defeating them, a treasure chest can be found with random leveled loot. It still remains a mystery as to why this treasure was buried there and by whom.
11 The Four High Peaks Of Solstheim
Four High Points That Have Great Views
There’s a lot to explore on the island of Solstheim, but there are four locations that aren’t marked until players are very close to them and do a lot of climbing. These locations are known as the Four High Peaks of Solstheim: Mortrag Peak, Hvitkald Peak, Frykte Peak, and Mount Moesring. Getting to these locations is going to take a little time and patience as there is no direct road to them. Players will have to do a lot of jumping and running around the mountains to get to these peaks.
Mortrag Peak and Frykte Peak are next to each other, making it a little easy to find as they’re both in the northern area of Solstheim. Frykte Peak is on the west side while Mount Moesring is at the center, making it a little difficult to spot. There isn’t any achievement or quests for these locations, but players will get a pretty sweet view of Solstheim at each location.
10 Bard's Leap Summit
A Fun Challenge For The Brave And Reckless
Bard's Leap Summit is a location found at the top of a gigantic waterfall and, simultaneously, at the bottom of it. The Forsworn camp Lost Valley Redoubt stands in players' way, but dispatching of some Forsworn was never a problem for a Dragonborn who knows what she's doing.
Bard's Leap Summit houses a notable secret. If, as the location name suggests, the player leaps from the top of this waterfall to a pool below (using the nearby Become Ethereal shout, perhaps), a Bard named Azzadal spawns. He tells the player about his attempt to make the dive, after which the Speech skill will increase by a few levels - nifty!
9 The Silvermoon
A Large Sunken Ship's Treasure Can Be Found At The Bottom
Located in Lake Illinalta, south from the Lady Stone, players will see a wooden mast sticking out from the water. If they take a plunge under the surface, they'll come across the wreck of what once used to be known as The Silvermoon.
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Considering the size of the lake, it might be a bit odd to see a ship of this size here. However, if players swim inside they'll find a chest with a bit of loot depending on their character's level and, of course, they'll also make a morbid discovery: the ship's dead captain just floating inside.
8 Pinewatch Caverns
An Innocent-Looking Cottage Hides A Dark Secret
Pinewatch is an unassuming cottage in Falkreath Hold that stands between the Guardian Stones players find at the start of the game and Falkreath itself. Going into the cottage reveals something quite spectacularly unexpected, though: an intricate cave system connected to Nordic Ruins and bandit hideouts alike.
Pinewatch Caverns is left undiscovered by many players who haven't taken the time to properly investigate this cottage. Look for a button near a bookshelf once you break inside, or take on the Thieves Guild quest "Silver Lining" to have it revealed for you by Rhorlak, the cottage's only resident.
7 Unfortunate Couple
Living Near A Dragon Proves To Be A Fatal Mistake
While taking a stroll south of Pinewatch, this small rundown cabin in the hillside will probably catch players' eyes from afar. The ground is blackened, as though from a fire, and if they move closer they'll notice two kneeling burned-up corpses sitting by the campfire spot.
While it might be easy to conclude these people were simply the victims of a stray spark lighting up the dry leaves around them, if players take a look inside they'll actually discover a note stating a dragon had been circling the area for some time now. An unfortunate end for a couple.
6 Hunter Jacuzzi
It's Always Nice To Take A Break And Relax
Perhaps one of the easiest locations to find and most likely one that many devoted Skyrim adventurers have already come across, this encampment northwest of Darkwater Crossing in Eastmarch is a strange spot of respite for travelers.
The hot springs in this area are a hotspot for strange creatures like giants and mammoths and even dragons, but this place, in particular, seems oddly peaceful. A group of hunters is casually soaking in the waters and relaxing, seemingly oblivious of any lurking danger.
5 Massacre At Talos Shrine
A Place Of Worship Becomes A Sad Sight
Any Skyrim fan knows just how much the Thalmor hate Nords and their worship of Talos. One particular Thalmor agent was convinced of a certain spot southwest of the Guardian Stones was a prime location for Talos worshippers and despite the orders of his superiors decided to investigate alone.
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Once the player arrives here, it becomes clear that nobody survived the bloodbath that ensued, not even the Thalmor agent himself. If his corpse is looted, it's found that he had specific orders from his superior but acted out of line, resulting in his untimely death.
4 Giant Nirnroot Island
A Fun Easter Egg Paying Homage To The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Giant Nirnroot Island is located far to the north of mainland Skyrim and is only accessible via travel to Solstheim. The island is home to special varieties of Nirnroot that spawn multiple copies in the player's inventory rather than just one, as well as of course a gigantic Nirnroot that signifies to players that they've arrived at this unique place.
Head to Solstheim via boat at the Windhelm Docks and go to the far northeasternmost corner of the map. The Giant Nirnroot Island should be visible from the coastline here, but be careful if you have survival mode on because getting through frozen water is a tricky business.
3 Giant Mudcrab Shell
The Resting Place Of A Very Large Mudcrab
In case players are looking for something truly unique in the world of Skyrim, why not take a trip just west of the Broken Fang Cave to find this massive dead corpse of a mudcrab. His tinier minions are still alive and present in numbers, so prepare to do battle.
What's interesting about this location is that, during a quest called "Kyne's Sacred Trials", players will be ordered to slay an entity known as the Guardian Mudcrab, which is presumably the spirit of this giant dead creature.
2 Chicken Reanimator
A Necromancer Practicing His Craft On Poultry
Everyone has one strange hobby or interest they can't quite explain to their friends and this Necromancer practicing his art south of Geirmund's Hall probably understands that more than anyone else. If players arrive at this mountainous area, they'll encounter a rather unhappy young Necromancer who will immediately send his undead chickens after them.
Unfortunately, his feathery friends will do little to the seasoned Dragonborn, other than perhaps leave them slightly perplexed and highly amused by the situation.
1 Frozen Mammoth
Proof That The Dwemer Did Hunt
One of the biggest mysteries in Skyrim is what exactly happened to the Dwemer and how were they able to disappear the way they did. Therefore, any monument or area that references their existence is worth a visit. North of Alftand up in the frozen glacier mountains, players will discover a mammoth preserved in ice.
Several Dwarven arrows are sticking out of its side, which might mean that it was none other than the Dwemer themselves who slew this magnificent creature. A historical time capsule like this is fascinating to see, but also great for those sturdy Dwarven arrows that deal some serious damage.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Platform(s)
- PC , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
