Skyrim Quests You Probably Haven’t Done Yet

For the level 80 character that’s defeated Alduin, saved the College of Winterhold, completed the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLC, assassinated the Emperor, and become the leader of both the Companions and the Thieves Guild, it may feel like there’s not much left to do in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. There may always be a new cave to explore, or another radiant quest to complete for Tolfdir or Vex, but after a while these too become repetitive.

Following the beaten path when playing Skyrim arguably yields the best narrative, but there are many hidden quests that are often missed since they’re more difficult to find. It’s little things like impromptu treasure hunts and secret mini bosses that give Skyrim more longevity than Elder Scrolls Online. Besides another way to pass time in the game, some of these buried side quests harbor gifts that are well worth a look.

The four quests on this list do not require any mods, but some are only available in the game’s DLC, so be sure to have at least the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs downloaded. Most players scrounging for more to do in Skyrim probably have this content installed already, but if not, both are excellent ways to prolong the Skyrim experience.

Easily Missed Skyrim Side Quests – Rise in the East

While mods aren’t necessary to enjoy these quests, the Skyrim Survival Mode mod will definitely take the the icy terrain and frigid northern waters of the Rise in the East quest to the next level. This is one of the most frequently missed quests in Skyrim since it can only be acquired in the East Empire Company offices in Windhelm – a building many players never even enter. The Dragonborn is asked to steal a logbook at the behest of an Imperial named Orthus Endario. What follows is a brawl with a pirate captain, a voyage into the Sea of Ghosts, and an all-out assault on Japhet’s Folly, a frozen island off the coast of Winterhold. The Japhet’s Folly location is the main reason this quest is so unusual; finding new unexplored areas and looting them for all they’re worth is one of the best things to do after beating Skyrim.

Easily Missed Skyrim Side Quests – Frostflow Abyss

While the DLC locations are home to a vampire castle, the Soul Cairn, and the Daedric realm of Apocrypha, there are few locations on Skyrim’s mainland that are truly scary. Frostflow Abyss takes players to one of them – the abandoned Frostflow Lighthouse to the far north, west of Ironbind Barrow and between Dawnstar and Winterhold. At first glance the lighthouse interior is in total disarray. Closer inspection of the journals reveals that there’s something sinister lurking in the basement.

Further exploration unravels into a long descent into the icy caverns beneath the lighthouse, where grisly blood trails and falmer ambushes await unwary players. This is a quest that reaffirms poison resist antidotes are potions every Skyrim player should have on hand, as the expedition culminates with a fight against an enormous chaurus reaper. Players who complete the quest are awarded a unique passive buff called Sailor’s Repose, which grants a permanent 10% boost to the effectiveness of all healing spells. This is an especially useful perk to early-game players looking to invest in the Restoration skill tree.

Easily Missed Skyrim Side Quests – Unfathomable Depths

Another quest that provides a unique permanent passive is Unfathomable Depths. There’s an Argonian woman named From-Deepest-Fathoms that can be found wandering the Riften docks saying, “The memories. I cannot stand them. You must take them away, return them to Avanchnzel.” If the player accepts, she hands over a lexicon similar to the one that Septimus Signus gives the Dragonborn before he enters Blackreach.

While that lexicon is pertinent to the quest from the Lovecraft-inspired Daedric Prince Hermaeous Mora, this one brought tragedy to From-Deepest-Fathoms and her friends as they explored Avanchnzel. The quest takes the player through the ruin that slowly picked off her companions, ending with a battle against a Dwarven Centurion. The reward for returning the lexicon is an ability called Ancient Knowledge that grants two new passive bonuses: A 25% bonus when wearing Dwarven Armor (which puts it on par with Daedric armor), and a permanent 15% increase in how fast the player can level up their Smithing skill. It’s a great way to expedite this normally tedious process.

Easily Missed Skyrim Side Quests – Arniel’s Endeavor

If that’s not a deep enough dive into Dwemer lore, the conclusion of this quest hints at a way Elder Scrolls 6 could bring back the Dwemer. The quest itself isn’t obscure, as it’s initiated simply by speaking with Arniel, one of the wizards living at Winterhold College. The reason this quest makes the list is because it has multiple stages, requires excessive traveling around the province, and its completion rewards are lackluster at first glance, leading some players never to undertake or finish it. The first stage of the quest is usually enough to drive players away since it requires the Dragonborn to collect ten Dwemer cogs from the various ruins all over Skyrim. This process does not come with accompanying quest markers, making them difficult to find, and the cogs are notoriously heavy, leading to frustrating encumbrance issues once they’re collected.

Next, the player must carry a warped soul gem to various points across the map, heating them with a unique spell called Arniel’s Convection. Lastly, the Dragonborn then has to retrieve the legendary dagger, Keening. The dagger itself is not a great prize, but once Arniel completes his experiment the player gets one of the most powerful Conjuration spell in Skyrim: Arniel’s Shade. The spell costs no magicka to cast and summons the ethereal ghost of Arniel, who casts Destruction spells and is virtually immune to all damage. Summoning Arniel can be a great distraction for the game’s hardest fights, but whether it’s worth all the trouble to acquire the spell is arguable. But that’s really the beauty of knowing about these hidden side quests – claiming these rewards early on can completely change a player’s run through The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

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