The Dragon Priest Masks are a rare piece of armor in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, obtainable by defeating each of the dragon priests located around the province of Skyrim.
Most dragon priests are found near word walls, sometimes located on dragon burial sites or ruins, meaning that the Dragonborn will sometimes enter into a battle with a difficult dragon while attempting to get the Dragon Priest Masks in Skyrim. Each mask is named after its dragon priest and has a unique effect enchanted to it.
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Nahkriin might be the first Dragon Priest Mask many players will come across in Skyrim because it crosses paths with the main quest. Located at the Nordin ruin of Skuldafn, this location is only accessible via the late-game quest The World-Eater's Eyrie, and it serves as the portal to Sovngarde. Nahkriin is a piece of heavy armor that offers a +50 buff to Magicka, and deducts 20% from Restoration and Destruction Magicka costs.
The Nordic ruin of Valthume is the tomb of the dragon priest Hevnoraak, who is the antagonist of the quest Evil in Waiting. His mask can be found inside the Nordic ruin, which is locked by a puzzle door. The solution for this common Skyrim puzzle is dragon, hawk, and wolf from top to bottom. The Hevnoraak mask makes the wearer immune to disease and poison.
The dragon lair of Shearpoint houses a word wall guarded by a strong dragon and a dragon priest named Krosis. After killing the dragon priest, the mask will offer a +20% buff to Lockpicking, Archery, and Alchemy skills and is considered light armor, making it excellent for sneaky archers. And north-east of Markarth in the ruins of Ragnvald lies Otar the Mad locked in a sarcophagus. The Dragonborn will need to defeat both guardians and loot their Skull Keys to unlock it and defeat Otar. His mask improves Fire, Frost, and Shock Resistance by 30%.
Rahgot awaits in the Nordic ruin Forelhost, as does a word wall. Other than a cultist, the Dragonborn won't have to fight much else to get Rahgot, which offers a +70 buff to Stamina. Directly west of Dawnstar, players can find Vokun along with some Draugr. Vonkun's mask lessens the cost of Alteration, Conjuration, and Illusion Magicka by 20%.
Further along the shore, west of Solitude, the ruin of Volskygge hides the dragon priest Volsung. His mask increases carrying capacity by 20%, gives 20% better prices while wearing it, and allows the wearer to breathe underwater.
And within the eerie ruins of Labyrinthian, players will encounter Morokei during the College of Winterhold questline. After defeating the boss of the Staff of Magnus quest, Morokei's mask gives an increased rate of 100% to Magicka Regeneration. Another important mask can be found in Labyrinthian: the Wooden Mask. However, the mask doesn't give a buff like its counterparts; instead, the Wooden Mask is used to access the dragon priest shrine.
Finally, Konahrik can only be obtained after collecting each of the other masks. The player will need to enter Bromjunaar Sanctuary by wearing the Wooden Mask. After placing each mask on its respective bust, the final mask Konahrik will appear. All masks can be taken again afterward, and Konahrik offers the unique ability to heal the wearer and damage nearby enemies when health is low.
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With Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC, a handful of Dragon Priest Masks can now be found on the island of Solstheim and also offer unique buffs. The first of these five is Ahzidal, located at Kolbjorn Barrow at the end of the Unearthed quest. The piece of heavy armor increases Resistance to Fire by 50% and gives a damage bonus to the Augmented Flames destruction spell of 25%.
Inside White Ridge Barrow, players can find the word wall for the Cyclone shout, one of the Black Books, and the dragon priest Dukaan. His mask grants 50% Resistance to Frost, and Frost spells do 25% more damage. Similarly, Zahkriisos offers the same Resistances and buffs, but to Shock. Zahkriisos can be found in Bloodskal Barrow, a tomb located north of Raven Rock.
And finally, Miraak is the primary boss and antagonist of the Dragonborn DLC, and his mask is only obtainable after defeating him. The mask's ability depends on the player's skills. Miraak's mask can either be light or heavy armor, whichever level is higher, and the increase to Magicka scales based on the player's level when they first come across the mask.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.