If you realize you missed a side-quest in Skyrim, it probably is not that surprising. The game is huge in terms of not only the map, but also in story content. There are some quests that are quite easy to get while others are pretty hidden. This is greatly due to where the quests are located. Casual players do not typically explore the entire map of Skyrim. If you are hardcore, though, and have explored the whole map, then it is likely you were one of the few players who have completed these hidden quests. Some of these quests are not even marked but have a story and rewards.
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Here are 10 hidden quests we have found in Skyrim.
Updated on February 22, 2021, By Allison Stalberg: Skyrim is one of those games that just keeps getting remakes. Originally, it was released for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Today, it has had remakes on the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Despite having been released about 10 years ago, it is the sort of title that players keep coming back to and find worth replaying. With all that players can do with mods and in-game content, Skyrim can be like a second home. However, even homes have their less traveled paths. Whether you are replaying, exploring a remaster, or new to the world, there are plenty of quests that are known to slip through the cracks of the players' usual route.
13 Liar's Retreat
This location does not have a marked quest, but it has a story with some reward involved. It is a bandit hideout that is filled with Falmer. So both bandits and Falmer are fighting to the death in here, with the Falmer winning.
You can find the bandit's dead bartender, who has a weapon called "The Longhammer." The bandits can find you and assume it was you who killed their barkeep and attack. "The Longhammer" is a decent weapon, as it can move 30 percent faster than a typical Skyrim war-hammer.
12 Frostflow Abyss
This quest is gained in the Frostflow Lighthouse, which is around the coast of Winterhold. You get the quest once you enter the center room of the lighthouse. The quest can get bugged if you enter the basement before the center room, so be careful of that. The quest is a little spooky and cool. You find the scene of a couple of grisly murders and your quest is to find out what happened.
The reward for completing this quest is unique, as it's an active effect called "Sailor's Repose" that gives healing spells a boost.
11 Coming of Age
This quest comes with exploring a Nordic Tomb called "Ironbind Barrow." You encounter other adventurers, NPC's Salma and Beem-Ja and they explore the area with you. We will not give anything away but the story is pretty cool since it involves betrayal and treasure.
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The location is in a pretty remote area, which is why it counts as a hidden quest. It can be difficult for low-level players to get to the area since it is shrouded by frost trolls, wolves, dragons, and sabre cats. You can also get the "Become Ethereal" dragon shout at Ironbind Barrow.
10 Rise In The East
The giver of this quest is Orthus Endario, who is located in the East Empire Company office. The office can be found on the docks of Windhelm. He asks the Dragonborn for help dealing with some pirates called the Blood Horkers. Luckily, this is a marked quest so once received, it is not hard to complete. The only reason that the quest is often missed is that Orthus is in an out-of-the-way location.
While the Dragonborn can be rewarded with money, the more interesting reward is a follower by the name of Adelaisa Vendicci.
9 Repentance
This quest begins upon entering Darklight Tower. You are approached by an NPC, Illia, who just killed a fellow witch. She was part of their coven but decided to rebel. Her mother, Silvia, is also part of the coven and she wants your help in getting to the top of the tower to stop her mom.
Upon completion of the quest, you can get the mothers staff, "Staff of Hag's Wrath," which shares the effect of the spell "Wall of Flames." Do be careful, as Illia can die during the quest. However, you can still complete the quest without her.
8 Composure, Speed, And Precision
This unmarked quest is received by Angi at Angi's Camp. Unlike most of the hidden quests, this one is less life-and-death or solving mysterious and more along the lines of doing some archery tests. There are four tests that Angi sets up for you and she gives you practice arrows. The first test is just about hitting three close targets, the second test is doing the same thing but within an eight second time limit, the third test is to hit the furthest target, and the last test is hitting all four targets in four seconds. The shout "Slow Time" is definitely advised for those having difficulty with time limits. Once completed, you get Angi's bow.
7 The Great Skyrim Treasure Hunt
With no stages or objectives, this quest is the most often ignored. After all, Skyrim is enormous. Finding a treasure map but getting no markers can be overwhelming. However, there are 11 maps in all. They are not randomized and they can get the player valuable loot.
An important aspect of these maps to know is that the treasure is impossible to obtain without finding the treasure map first. The game made it so that the treasure chest does not spawn in its location until its corresponding map is obtained.
6 Forgotten Names
This quest is known as "hidden" since it never appears in your quest journal. You have to figure it out on your own, but it is not hard. You can discover an odd gauntlet in The Midden Dark. If you look around, you can find an incident report and a key.
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The report mentions rings that are missing and hidden around the Arcanaeum. You can find and collect these onto the mysterious gauntlet, which will summon a dremora, Velehk Sain. You get the choice whether to set the dremora free, which gets you a treasure map or to kill it, which will get you a daedra heart.
5 The Ghost Of Old Hroldan
This quest is easy to miss, as it is located at a remote inn along the shores of the Karth River. You are also required to sleep in Tiber Septim's room. If you do those things, you can meet Old Hroldan's ghost. The ghost mistakes you for someone else and wants you to bring back a sword to fulfill a promise. The location of the sword is random, but common areas the sword may be are Broken Tower Redoubt, Bruca's Leap Redoubt, Deepwood Redoubt, and Dragon Bridge Overlook just to name a few.
The reward for this quest is one-point bonuses to your one-handed and block skills.
4 The Pale Lady
To get this quest, players need to discover the Frostmere Crypt. The location is southwest of Dawnstar and not too far from the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. The player receives this quest from a Nord bandit just outside of the crypt named Eisa Blackthorn. If she survives being attacked by other bandits, she can talk to the player to give them the quest. If not, her body will have a journal that gives the quest instead.
The rest of the quest takes place within the crypt itself. It is also worth exploring the crypt to learn a new shout, as the location does have a Word Wall.
3 Vulthuryol
This dragon is one of the more difficult to find. It resides within the underground city of Blackreach. However, the dragon is not just there and waiting for you, you need to summon it.
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To do this, you need to find a yellow orb which is above Blackreach's Debate Hall and Hall of Rumination. You have to use Unrelenting Force on the orb, which will react like a gong and echo throughout the city. It is only through doing that that Vulthuryol will make an appearance. Know that this dragon cannot be tamed by the "will bend" shout and it is best to tackle this dragon if you are past level 20.
2 The Ebony Warrior
This quest is only available to those with the Dragonborn DLC who have gotten their character to level 80. That is just the beginning though, as this is known as one of the harder fights of the entire game. The Ebony Warrior is an NPC that challenges you to a fight to the death. Despite him being such a tough enemy to defeat, he actually wants to lose so his soul can go to Sovngarde. Once you are at level 80, the quest is not so hidden. He will appear in any major city.
1 The Abandoned Prison
This abandoned, haunted, and half-flooded prison is not part of any marked quest-line. In fact, there is not much to do there. However, exploring and learning what happened to the prison is fun. You get to see ghosts and learn about what happened to them. There are books and notes left behind that are worth reading to discover the truth of what happened there.
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