A significant contributor to Skyrim's immersion factor would be its random encounters. While players are adventuring in the wilderness or making their way through the province's numerous towns and settlements, they might encounter rare characters and events that can range from amusing to dangerous.
RELATED: Skyrim: The 10 Best Skills For Warriors, Ranked
There's a fairly lengthy list of these random encounters. While some are more common than others, the best ones are definitely those that players don't come across as often. From watching beasts and NPCs fight each other to witnessing a mysterious ghost in the middle of the night, here are some of the more uncommon encounters in the game.
10 Vampire's Trick
With the Dragonborn being the valiant hero they are, seeing someone in trouble is guaranteed to make them want to rush to their aid. However, there's one encounter that tricks the Dragonborn viciously by making them believe a vampire is attacking an innocent bystander.
As soon as the Dragonborn approaches, the vampire and its thrall attack them. The event only happens during the night (between 10 PM and 4 AM) and before the quest Laid to Rest has been completed. After its completion, it can continue occurring around the Hjaalmarch area.
9 Giant's Painted Cow
It's a rather common sight to spot a giant wandering the plains of Skyrim as they herd a mammoth or two. However, what's less common is sighting a giant walking on one of the many roads of the province with a painted cow by its side.
RELATED: Skyrim: Every Dragon Claw (& How To Find Them)
There's a similar encounter to this with an actual human farmer, but the giant version seems to be more difficult to come across. It's unclear whether giants know how to herd cows or even have any utility for cows, which is why this encounter might come off as bizarre and almost jarring. However, it is revealed by the farmer encounter that these cows are essentially peace offerings made to the giants.
8 Headless Horseman
A classic and mysterious encounter occurs around Skyrim at night time, one that many players might not expect. It's a cool little reference to the Tale of the Headless Horseman. No matter where the Dragonborn is, he has a chance of appearing at night between 10 PM and 4 AM.
The horseman always rides to the same location: Hamvir's Rest. There, he can also be spotted during the day. Hamvir's Rest is a cool little hidden gem of a location where players can fight off a draugr surrounded by skeletons and grab some leveled loot from a chest.
7 Babette's Snack
Players who have the Dawnguard DLC added and happen to also be members of the Dark Brotherhood might spot this familiar child-like vampire in the wild at night. It's not uncommon to spot members of known factions around the province, but this creepy meeting will definitely give players goosebumps.
Babette is usually found standing by a random corpse, stating that she's out for a little snack since Nazir's cooking isn't to her liking. After chatting with her, Babette will walk back to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.
6 M'aiq The Liar
There are many unique and amusing NPCs in Skyrim, and one of them is unquestionably M'aiq the Liar. This Khajiit in light brown and yellowish robes will randomly appear at just about any location, without a clear purpose or intention.
RELATED: Skyrim: Everything You Need To Know About The Argonians
M'aiq is more of an easter egg for long-time fans of The Elder Scrolls series since he's been around the franchise since Morrowind. Interacting with him will often give the player a small piece of his timeless and frankly quite entertaining wisdom, from "M'aiq hears many stories of war... yet few of them are true," to "Some say Alduin is Akatosh. Some say M'aiq is a Liar. Don't you believe either of those things."
5 Ghost In Need
If the headless horseman wasn't frightening enough, players can also encounter other random ghosts all around Skyrim. They tend to have no dialogue, but when interacted with will instead lead the player to a specific location.
Usually, the ghost is asking the Dragonborn to take care of some bandits who are in the process of robbing its resting place. There's a bit of modest loot in it for the Dragonborn as well.
4 Denied College Application
Not everyone who dreams of becoming a mage can become a mage (or should, even). The Aspiring Mage, for instance, was outright rejected by the College of Winterhold and is now deeply upset he didn't make the cut with his abilities.
The Dragonborn can get their hands on his staff and black soul gem, both of which are fairly decent loot. In order to encounter this mage, the player needs to be at the very least level 15 to trigger the event.
3 Finding The Gourmet
During the Dark Brotherhood questline, the Dragonborn gets to pose as the famous chef Gourmet. After finishing the quest Recipe for Disaster, a very special encounter has a chance of taking place in the wild which allows the Dragonborn to really play their role as the celebrity chef.
RELATED: 10 Things Players Should Be Able To Do In Skyrim
An NPC named Balbus can be found traveling the roads and looking for Gourmet. Since the Dragonborn has the identification papers from the Dark Brotherhood quest, Balbus can be tricked into believing that they are, in fact, the Gourmet. As a result, Balbus will offer several rare alchemy ingredients (including a Daedra Heart) as well as a fork.
2 Spriggan And Hagraven
One of the most common encounter types in Skyrim is to spot two parties in the middle of combat. It can be two mages, bandits, or even wolves. However, the most rewarding battle to witness has to be between a Hagraven and a Spriggan.
This encounter requires the player to be already level 20, so it's a fairly high-level event. Moreover, it obviously only occurs while traveling in the wilderness, where other encounters of the same type tend to be much more common. Those lucky enough to witness it should stick around to collect the alchemy ingredients that both beasts drop.
1 Wizard Duel
Most players prefer to be stealth archers or melee warriors, but choosing to become a powerful mage has some very interesting consequences in the long run. Should the Dragonborn reach level 50 in a school of magic, they'll be sought out by a challenger.
This mage will ask to duel the Dragonborn, and there's no room for refusal here. In order to trigger this encounter, it's important to be in a town while meeting the appropriate level requirements.