Author Archives: Serge

Near An Altar Close To Hunter’s House Skyshard

Guide:
The Hunger’s House is a crafting station positioned almost at the center of the map of Western Skyrim. At this station, you can craft the Stuhn’s Favor set, which gives you great weapon and spell damage, along with Physical and Spell penetration. There is a main road circling around this whole area. South of it is the Southern Watch Wayshrine, northwest is the Dragon Bridge settlement and its Wayshrine, while to the east you can find the Morthal settlement and its Wayshrine.

This is also the last skyshard on this list found outdoors. The altar mentioned in the title is important, as you can’t reach the shard in the area of the crafting station. Your exact goal is almost in the middle between this crafting station to the west, and Hjaalmarch Great Lift to the east. The closest Wayshrine is the Morthal settlement one, to the east.

If you are coming from the closest shrine in the east, cross the river and head toward the Hjaalmarch Great Lift. Following the main road, start ascending the hills toward the south. Soon enough, you should spot a small, unmarked settlement with a large wooden tower – a watchtower. Anyone on this watchtower would have a great view towards the smaller hill in the west. This hill is where the altar we are looking for lies. Climb on the hill, and there, on a rock nearby, is a skyshard.

Within Labyrinthian’s Mound Skyshard

Guide:
Labyrinthian is a public dungeon located in the far southeastern corner of Western Skyrim. The closest Wayshrine is the one in the Morthal settlement to the northwest. Some of the other places of interest nearby are Hailstone Valley and Eastern Great Lif to the northeast and the Shademother’s Haven world boss to the west. From this shard onwards, all the other ones in the list are found within the dungeons.

It’s easy to spot this place on the map, as it is a large structure in the snowy area. To enter the dungeon, you’ll have to go over the U-shaped road and stairs. At the entrance, Yrsild gives you the quest The Fading Fire, where you have to find her grandfather Keldnyr, who is missing.

Once inside the public dungeon, continue forward over the long stairs, between two stone structures on both sides, to the left and right. As you pass by them, you’ll get to spot a large stone hut-type of structure with four pillars around it. There are two red flags at its center, next to a fire pit. This is the entrance of this building. Head into it, and keep to your left. As soon as you enter and start going left, you’ll spot the skyshard. Its glow shines above the hut too, as there is a hole in the ceiling.

Overlooking The Crescent Pool In Nchuthnkarst Skyshard

Guide:
Nchuthnkarst is the largest public dungeon in the Greymoor expansion (try saying its name fast, I dare you). You can find it in Blackreach, at its center. It is so big, it has its own map you can inspect on the global map. The closest Wayshrine is Dusktown, located in the southern part of this cave system. There are no great lifts from Western Skyrim that can take you here. On the other hand, if you use any of the three greater lifts above, you should get the Dusktown Wayshrine unlocked automatically. Otherwise, you’ll have to make it here by foot from the other sides. The dungeon is just south from Greymoor Cavern Great Lift, east from the Miner’s Lament ritual site, southwest from the Gloomforest ritual site, and north from the Dwarf’s Bane ritual site.

There are a lot of lamp posts near the entrance of this dungeon, and even without looking at the map, you can spot that there is something going on in here. The Tones of the Deep is the name of the quest given by Kireth Vanos, who is next to the dungeon entrance. Press the lever to go even deeper and reach the Nchuthnkarst area.

From the entrance, you’ll need to make your way to the first door to Nchuthnkarst Control Room. Considering you are alone in here, you’ll have to deal with a group of enemies. They will definitely follow you, blocking you from going further until they are dealt with first. In the next room, you should go forward to the next door and into Nchuthnkarst Complex, but if you go to the right here, you can see your goal in the distance – a broken bridge on the other side. The skyshard is at the end of said broken bridge.

To reach this broken bridge, you can go around the central room, following the path over the bridge to the north, going under the bridge from its western side, or good old jumping towards it, hoping you’ll survive. There is a large mushroom east of this bridge which you should aim for if you decide to jump down. From here, whichever of the paths you take, simply follow the road and aim for the broken bridge section, where the shard is hidden on the edge, overlooking the crescent-shaped pool.

Through The Frostvenom Spiders Nest In Chillwind Depths Skyshard

Guide:
Chillwind Depths is a delve positioned in the central-western part of the main map. There are several places of interest around it, like the Dragon Bridge settlement and its Wayshrine to the north, Karthwatch to the south, Chilblain peak ritual site to the west and Hunter’s House crafting site to the east. Eventually, if you pay attention to the river in this area, you’ll notice that there is a small curve where you can see a small waterfall. There is an unmarked road that takes us next to this river, all the way west to the waterfall and the entrance to Chillwind Depths.

The specific Frostvenom spiders nest we’re after is found in the eastern part of this delve. From the entrance, just follow the path to your left side, hugging the wall. As you come across the second pool of water, immediately turn left, and you’ll spot a small cave entrance covered in the spiderwebs. Without the map, this pathway would be rather well-hidden. Go through it, deal with the two spiders that might follow you from the back, and reach the end of the path. Its end is overlooking the water down below, and is also the location of the skyshard we are here for.

If you are a fan of achievements, there is also an instrument in the easternmost part of the delve, the one you’ve just passed several steps ago. It’s a part of the Instrumental Triumph achievement, where you have to collect 19 instruments.

Near The Cliffside Altar In Dragonhome Skyshard

Guide:
Picking up the skyshard that carries this name requires the player to enter the Dragonhome delve. This dungeon is found in the far northwestern part of the main map of Western Skyrim. The closest Wayshrine is in the south inside the Mor Khazgur mine, but you can probably get here faster by taking the Wayshrine to the east, called Dragon Bridge.

Either way, follow the main road up to the northwesternmost bend, and from there, head south toward the cave with the torches as a light source. There is a rather unique and strange-looking quest giver in front of the dungeon’s entrance, called Heiruna Doll. It gives you the quest called Spellbound, where you have to gather her belongings hidden inside the delve.

The cliffside altar is the one overlooking the eastern delve’s southern bridge, where the shard’s glow is showing its whereabouts. To reach it, you’ll need to take one of the two paths. The closest one is probably the one from the south plateau. There is a small passageway that can take you to the southwestern part of the delve, but it also leads to a small route to the north. This route also ends in a dead end, with the cliffside altar overlooking the path we just passed over. The enemies in this area are adamant in their need to go after you, and you’ll need to deal with them. The skyshard is just on a small rock, next to an altar.

Among The Crags Of The Frozen Coast Skyshard

Guide:
Frozen Coast is a delve in the northeasternmost part of the main map. This place of interest is a bit further away from other spots marked on the map. The closest Wayshrine is the one to the south, called Frozen Coast; the alternative is the one in the Solitude center. On your way here, you’ll go by the Silver Cormorant place, which hides one instrument for the Instrumental Triumph achievement.

To enter the delve, you’ll need to interact with a boat at this location. If you are a completionist, there is the “The Fate of the Frozen” quest, given to you by the Magreta raider nearby. Once you “use” the boat, it will take you into the delve, which is actually an island that you can find on the Western Skyrim map. It’s the one that is located in the far northeast.

In order to reach the skyshard’s location, we’ll need to follow the main delve road going toward the eastern side of the island. At one point, it takes you past the water into the small cave. This is where we take a hard left, and go north under some stalactites. This path will take you up the hill, to the point where it ends with a small “broken” bridge. If you zoom into the delve at this location on the map, you can spot that this path is actually a dead end. Look to the distance here, toward the west, and you can see the Skyshard’s spot on the other side, as well as a hill. You’ll have to make a jump here to end up a level lower, thereby getting on the hill’s plateau, where the shard is. This is a fairly interesting location for a skill point, considering it even takes a jump to get to this place.

By The Wispmother’s Pond In Midnight Barrow Skyshard

Guide:
Midnight Barrow is a delve in the Blackreach part of Greymoor. This underground cave system can be reached with the help of the above-ground greater lifts. The closest one to our goal is the one in the far east, called Eastern Great Lift. However, at this point, you probably have some Wayshrines in Blackreach; hopefully the one you have unlocked is Lightless Hollow, in the eastern part.

From this, the closest Wayshrine, head straight to the west. Keep pushing in the same direction until you notice the lights of the torches. They mark the start of a path that leads up the hill, over the wooden stairs and the plateaus, and to Alwyn. Next to her, there is a wooden ladder that you can use to climb inside Midnight Barrow delve.

The ancient burial site known as the Midnight Barrow once occupied the side of a hill in Western Skyrim. Centuries ago, an earthquake caused the ground to swallow the barrow, dragging it into the depths of Nirn.

The “Wispmother’s pond” clue is of a lot of help here, as this is not a small dungeon. There are three pools of water inside the delve. The pond we are looking for is the only one in the room. The other two ponds are inside a different room, but they are not our goal at the moment. Continue north, and find your way inside the room with a single pond. There is a Wispmother above this pond that might be the reason behind the skyshard’s name. You don’t have to engage it to collect the skill point, as this spot is approachable if you jump down from the stairs next to it.

By the Wispmother’s pond in Midnight Barrow.

On One Of The Highest Precipices In Shadowgreen Skyshard

Guide:
The Shadowgreen delve is not inside the Blackreach map, but rather positioned at the northern part of Western Skyrim, deep inside Mount Kilkreath. It is easy to spot its whereabouts, as it’s found just southeast from Kyne’s Aegis Trial, a place of interest that is probably marked on the map from the start. The closest wayshrine is the one in the southwest called Kilkreath Temple, but if you don’t have it, you can use the one in Solitude. There is also the Highland giant camp northeast from the delve, and the Northern Watch ritual site in the same direction.

This part of the map is surrounded with tall mountain edges, so you best make it here from the northern road. There is an unmarked pathway going toward the delve, which also has stone posts that probably serve as guidance when there is a lot of snow. Follow the path, and you’ll reach the entrance and a wounded High elf named Rafilerrion, who gives you a quest called “The Mountain Bellows”. There is a small cave entrance with some vines on it close to him.

The highest precipice in the cave, the one we are interested in, is visible just above and near the entrance. If you look closely at the northern part of the first room, just above the water, on the top of the hill, close to a bridge, you can spot the skyshard’s light. To reach it, continue north into the next room, and up the hill. Once on top of the hill, inside a small cave, you’ll see two new pathways. One is leading to the eastern part of the cave, and the other one toward the south. Go through the one leading to the south – the one on your right.

At the end of the cave pathway, you’ll reach a bridge. Don’t go over it just yet, but rather pan your view to the right. There is a small, almost imperceptible road. Use it to reach the Skyshard and a new piece of a skill point. Watch out for a black bear that is guarding the bridge, as it will follow you if you get spotted.

In A Junk Heap Rotunda In The Scraps Skyshard

Guide:
The Scraps is a delve in the western part of Blackreach. At this point, you should probably be well aware that this cave system is located below Western Skyrim. The closest lift is, as you might have guessed, the Karthald Great Lift, west from Dragon Bridge. It takes you to the Dark Moon Grotto Great Lift and the Dwarven Run Wayshrine. If you don’t have the Dark Moon Grotto Wayshrine unlocked, you can use this one to reach the delve.

From the Wayshrine closest to the Lift, follow the path while keeping close to the western part of the cave – to your right. As you pass by the Nightstone ritual site on your left, you can see the yellowish lights of the delve’s entrance in the distance. There is also a large formation of crystals just above the approach. As always, there is a quest giver here. This time it is Neramo, who would like you to gather power nodes.

The junk heap rotunda can be spotted in the eastern part of the delve. It’s a part of the smaller room in this area. To reach it, you’ll have to progress north, to the room in the northeastern part, as the path from the skyshard’s room can only take you down to the starting greater room. Get to the northeastern room, go up the stairs, and into the passageway to the east.

The final room, where the rotunda is positioned, hides a quite unique enemy-spawning technique. Just hope that someone hasn’t dealt with this before, as you’ll quite enjoy it. As you enter the room, look to your right. You can’t really spot it from the entrance to the room, but there is a small, hidden junk heap rotunda here. Go around the left-behind treasures to pick up the most valuable one for yourself, aka the Skyshard, of course.

Overlooking The Coast, Southeast Of Doomstone Keep Skyshard

Guide:
Doomstone Keep is a striking locale located in the far northeastern part of Southern Elsweyr. You’ll find it north from the Forsaken Citadel delve, northeast from the Pridehome Wayshrine. Be sure to follow the path rather than the coastline.

This is the first of many Southern Elsweyr skyshards, and also the one that is the farthest away from the starting map location in the southern town of Senchal. If you’ve just started this zone, and want to pick up all the skill points first, you better leave this one for last.

This spot is on the edge of a high coastal hill. If you pay attention to the map, you’ll see small islands near the coast. The second to last island (from south to north) is the closest to our goal. Follow the road from the south by keeping close to the eastern shoreline. The goal is to pass Pridehome Wayshrine on the west and Forsaken Citadel on the east. Head to the northeastern corner of the plateau by the river north from this delve. In this area, you’ll spot two fighting beasts – a Mountain Bristleback and a Haj Mota. There is a small path going downhill near them, toward the cliff. The skyshard is down this path, past a Spriggan, next to a tall tree.