To say that the Soul Cairn in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is an unpleasant place would be an understatement. As one of the many realms of Oblivion, the Soul Cairn serves as the nightmarish home for individuals unlucky enough to be captured inside a soul gem. The land itself is ruled by enigmatic figures known as the Ideal Masters.
Of course, there's always something new to discover in Skyrim. The Soul Cairn is big as well as dangerous, so it's easy to miss little details along the way. Even veteran players may have missed a thing or two when it comes to this gloomy realm of mystery.
7 The Soul Cairn's Hierarchy
Like any new location, the Soul Cairn comes with its own set of unique enemies the player must overcome. The hostile denizens of this realm include bonemen, mistmen, and wrathmen. These undead servants find themselves ensnared by the will of the Ideal Masters.
What some players may not have realized, however, is that these enemies compose a hierarchy in the Soul Cairn. An in-game text, "The Book of Life and Service," indicates that bonemen form the lowest class, while wrathmen are the highest. Mistmen fall into the middle class. Nevertheless, all of them are unquestionably obedient to the Ideal Masters.
6 Durnehviir's Unique Dialogue
One of the more notable inhabitants of the Soul Cairn is the undead dragon, Durnehviir. Sentenced to a life of eternal servitude to the Ideal Masters, Durnehviir's job is to guard the vampire Valerica. When approached, Durnehviir has quite a lot to say to the player.
Interestingly, Durnehviir's dialogue actually changes based on the player's progress in the main questline involving Alduin. One particularly rare piece of dialogue can be heard if players speak to Durnehviir before learning of their Dragonborn status. When Durnehviir refers to the protagonist as "dovah," the player can react with confusion. The dragon will apologize and remark that an instinct told him to refer to the player as a fellow "dovah."
5 The Secret Word Wall
Word Walls represent great sources of power for the Dragonborn, granting the player the ability to perform various Shouts. Their locations are diverse, often found within tombs or dragon lairs. Put simply, they can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places.
While traversing the Soul Cairn, it's easy to miss an unusable Word Wall half-buried in the rubble. How it got there and what knowledge it may have contained represents yet another example of one of Skyrim's unknowable mysteries.
4 Soul Fissures
There's a lot of unusual imagery on display in the Soul Cairn. Many of the structures, as well as portions of the landscape, can actually be interacted with to some degree. As such, exploring the map thoroughly can often lead to unexpected rewards.
One aspect of the environment that's easy to overlook is the various Soul Fissures that dot the landscape. It's certainly worth it to stand in these strange crevices. Doing so will fill the player's highest-tier soul gem with the appropriate soul. Locating these fissures is an easy way to fill one's collection of soul gems without the need to physically capture them manually.
3 Don't Fear The Reaper
It was mentioned previously that the Soul Cairn isn't lacking in enemies. Most of them shouldn't give the Dragonborn any trouble considering they fight like typical undead foes. There's one enemy, however, who is far more fearsome than the rest, assuming players can find him.
The Reaper is one of the tougher "bosses" fans may come across in Skyrim. The reason why he's easy to miss is because players must first collect three Reaper Gem Fragments to summon him for battle. These items are scattered across the Soul Cairn inside various chests. Furthermore, there are no quest markers for this encounter, so players must discover it for themselves.
2 Arvak, The Spectral Steed
Humans aren't the only ones unlucky enough to be trapped within the Soul Cairn. Depending on how long players decide to stay inside this realm, they may or may not spot a ghostly horse named Arvak galloping throughout the environment. In addition, they may also spot the horse's unfortunate owner, who will ask the player for help.
Choosing to help the poor fellow sends the Dragonborn on a quest to find Arvak's skull. Successfully retrieving the remains will reward the player with the Summon Arvak spell, which allows the Dragonborn to make use of this loyal steed whenever they wish.
1 References To Past Elder Scrolls Games
The NPCs inside the Soul Cairn aren't that chatty, but they do offer some insight into how they found themselves in their current predicament. Much of this dialogue is quite interesting, although fans with sharp ears may catch a few easter eggs related to previous games in The Elder Scrolls series.
For example, one soul may say "Just step into the painting, he said. Yeah, sure......Like it's that simple." This is a clever reference to "A Brush with Death," a side quest in Oblivion where players must enter a painting. Another soul will reference An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire by stating "How dare they cast me from the Battlespire! I will make them pay dearly."
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was released in 2011 and is available on PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.