Skyrim is a vast game. With diverse gameplay and so much to do, players just keep coming back to it years after its initial release. One feature that players can enjoy is the chance to own a home. While on a practical level, homeownership provides players with space to store their items and sleep after a long adventure, it also enhances roleplay as each unique player home provides a certain atmosphere suited to a variety of builds.
Many of the homes in Skyrim can be purchased, built, and furnished, but if players want to take a different approach to housing, they can repurpose a number of cool dungeons into their own special abodes. Many of Skyrim's dungeons respawn after ten or thirty days, so are not suitable for long-term residences, but there are a handful of dungeons safe for storage that will never reset.
10 Goldenglow Estate
Goldenglow Estate is a beautiful manor on an island in Lake Honrich, just outside Riften. It boasts its own honey farm, along with gorgeous lakeside views. The house itself is quite large, with numerous rooms and a huge master bedroom for the Dragonborn.
The house is inhabited by hostile mercenaries employed by the initial owner, Aringoth. However, if players get rid of the mercenaries and kill Aringoth during the Thieves Guild quest "Loud and Clear," they can make this home their own.
9 Nilheim
On the eastern side of Lake Geir, sitting above the waterfalls that empty down into the volcanic tundra below, is one of the most beautiful locations in Skyrim: an ancient Nordic tower overlooking Eastmarch. What this modest home lacks in comforts, it makes up for in stunning views.
Nilheim is initially home to several bandits, but they can be easily cleared, after which they will never respawn. There are plenty of chests, barrels, and sacks to store items and some bedrolls in the tower for sleeping.
8 Nightcaller Temple
This old ruined fort hides a dark secret: a temple to the Daedric Prince Vaermina. Talk to Erandur in Dawnstar's inn and begin the quest "Waking Nightmare." Erandur will then reveal that inside the temple sleep dozens of cultists and Orcish invaders who once sought to destroy them, all trapped in a deep slumber by a mysterious gas called miasma.
The temple holds a library, an alchemy lab, expansive hallways and rooms, and a shrine to Vaermina. After clearing the dungeon and completing the associated quest, this temple can be turned into the perfect home for worshipers of the Daedric Prince.
7 Tower Of Mzark
Players who have a fascination with the Dwemer will love this potential home. Deep within Blackreach is a tower wherein players may find an ancient secret - but it can also be turned into a base for players making frequent trips into the cavernous underworlds of Skyrim.
The Tower of Mzark can only be accessed during either the main quest line or the Dawnguard quest line, but once it has been unlocked it can be entered through a lift in the hills just north of Whiterun, near Heljarchen Hall.
6 Frostmere Crypt
Frostmere Crypt is a typical Nordic ruin inhabited by bandits, with a twist - the dungeon leads to an underground forest inhabited by an ancient Wispmother. After completing the quest "The Pale Lady" and retrieving the Pale Blade as a reward, players can use this ruin as their base.
If players decide to use the Pale Blade, they can then return to this crypt and recharge it on the pedestal it was found - so there's no need to carry around soul gems.
5 Wreck Of The Icerunner
Not every home needs to be a building. After completing the quest "Lights Out," players can turn this wrecked Imperial ship into a makeshift home!
Players will need to orchestrate the wreck of this ship themselves by helping Jaree-Ra put out the lighthouse in Solitude, and after clearing it of enemies, can occupy any of the ship's cabins and use it for storage. The ship is only a stone's throw from both Morthal and Solitude and is a cheaper alternative to the purchasable homes in those towns.
4 Abandoned Lodge
Players looking for a humble home on Solstheim don't have to look further than the Abandoned Lodge. This little house is just north of Raven Rock, with some gorgeous views of Red Mountain. The house features a double bed plus a spare for any follower, a grindstone outside, and a basement complete with a bar!
However, the house cannot be accessed until starting the quest "A New Source of Stalhrim," which doesn't become available until the Dragonborn DLC's "The Fate of the Skaal" is completed.
3 Darklight Tower
This tall tower southwest of Riften is initially inhabited by witches and Hagravens, so climbing the tower and clearing it of enemies can be a difficult task. However, players will be aided along the way by the powerful witch Illia, who has defected from her coven.
After helping Illia in the quest "Repentance," she can be recruited as a follower and Darklight Tower can be used as a home. If Illia is dismissed she will return to the tower, so players won't be living alone!
2 Abandoned House
This house is located in the heart of Markarth and is perfect for any worshiper of Molag Bal. While it doesn't look like much on the outside, the house is actually quite expansive within, boasting multiple rooms and levels.
There is plenty of space for storage, but the feature of this house that stands out the most is the shrine to the mysterious Daedric Prince Molag Bal on the lowest level. Talk to Vigilant Tyranus in Markarth to gain access.
1 Broken Oar Grotto
This immense, flooded cave makes for a fantastic hideout for any character of questionable morality. Initially home to a band of pirates, the grotto can be claimed by the player after clearing them out during the quest "Lights Out!"
At the end of the cave is a unique, makeshift fortress constructed out of the bodies of old ships, including a complete smithing setup.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.