Summary
- Skyrim has hidden unmarked locations that provide lore about the game, some with unique quests and rewards for players.
- From Angi's Camp to The Chill and Yisra's Testing Ground, these locations offer treasure, skills, and immersive storytelling.
- The Four High Peaks of Solstheim and Bard's Leap Summit are examples of hidden gems worth exploring in Skyrim's vast province.
Skyrim has been out for years and, while most of us have hundreds of hours in this game, it's surprising how many secret and unmarked locations still go unnoticed to this day. While some locations were simply left there for players to find random loot during their travels across the province, others are intricately laid out scenes that can tell us a lot about the lore of Skyrim.
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There are four shouts that players can pick up in Solstheim - Battle Fury, Bend Will, Cyclone, and Dragon Aspect are all found in the Dragonborn DLC.
Many of these locations remain the subject of speculation as to what may have happened and why they're there in the first place. It all goes to show how committed the developers were when making the game.
Updated on May 20th, 2024, by Sarah Prado: Even though it’s been out for over a decade, The Elder Scolls 5: Skyrim still remains popular, especially after the Anniversary Edition’s release. There are a lot of areas on the map that some players might not explore because of how vast the province is. Some unmarked locations are hard to find, and even some marked locations might be missed because they’re either next to bigger marked locations or not part of a quest. It might take some time to find these places, but they’re worth checking out for either treasure or getting a nice view of Skyrim or Solstheim.
20 Angi's Camp
A Nord Woman's Home To Hide From The Imperial Legion
This is a marked location once discovered, but Angi’s Camp can be a little hard to find. It’s tucked in the mountains southeast of Halldir’s Cairn and west of Bloodlet Throne. A Nord woman named Angi lives here in solitude because she’s avoiding the Imperial Legion after killing two soldiers who killed her parents. Her house is small, but there is a skill book players can read to level up their archery, and a treasure map as well.
What makes her home unique is the archery range she has. If players feel like testing their skills, Angi will give them some challenges to test their speed and accuracy. Should players be successful in passing her tests, Angi will give them her bow as a reward.
19 Froki's Shack
Home To An Old Nord Archer And His Grandson
Another hidden home tucked in the mountains, Froki’s Shack can be found southeast of Ivarstead and east of Autumnwatch Tower. Living here is an old man named Froki and his grandson, Hamig. Talking to Froki will give players the option to do a quest. Other than this, there’s not much to do around here.
However, a semi-rare item can be found in this shack. If players walk over to the chopping block near Froki’s Shack, the Diadem of the Savant accessory can be found. A shrine of Talos can also be found further south up the mountains, with an archery skill book and a few items.
18 The Chill
Winterhold's Jail Lives Up To Its Name In A Lot Of Ways
If players go to jail in Winterhold, they will find themselves locked in an unmarked location known as The Chill. Located northeast of Septimus Signus’s Outpost, The Chill is found on an island with Frost Atronachs guarding the entrance, and one Frost Atronach inside the cave as well. There are barrels of food where the jail cells are, and some skeletons in the jail cells.
All around the island are ore veins that players can mine. Just be wary of the wolves, horkers, bears, and sabre cats. If players are playing in Survival Mode, it’s best to dress warmly and have camping supplies just in case the cold becomes too much for them.
17 Yisra's Testing Ground
A Former Student's Experiment Goes Awry
Found on the shoreline east of Dawnstar and south of Yngvild is the charred corpse of a Yisra. She’s a former student at the College of Winterhold who went missing with three other students, and they were supposed to be part of a side quest. Sadly, the quest got cut, but it’s worth finding her testing ground. While Yisra wasn’t successful in her experiments, players will find a Fire Cloak spell book near her corpse.
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This is especially handy if players haven’t leveled up their Destruction skill line enough to buy it from merchants or court wizards, or if they just want to save money. The Fire Cloak spell comes in handy for Survival Mode, especially in the icy terrain of northern Skyrim. It’ll make swimming through cold water a lot easier.
16 Hagraven Nest
A Hagraven Doesn't Like It When Someone Takes Her Treasure
Just to the left of Ragnvald and up the mountain is a small and ominous camp. If players look closely, they’ll quickly notice it’s a Hagraven’s home. There’s a small tent, an altar, and a dead goat. What’s interesting is that the Hagraven is nowhere to be seen when players approach the area, but that doesn’t mean she’s not around.
A chest can be found in the camp. If players loot it, the Hagraven who owns the camp appears and is hostile. No matter the player's level, Hagravens hit pretty hard with their magic, so players should be ready to deal with that.
15 Harmugstahl
A Warlock's Hideaway To Experiment On Frostbite Spiders
This becomes a marked location once players discover it, but it’s a pretty easy one to miss. It can be found east of Dragontooth and northwest of Karthwasten. There is a slight chance this location will be chosen for a radiant quest, but other than that, players will most likely miss this it. Tucked in a cliff, the only visible part of the fort is the door, the stairs that lead to it, and the lit braziers.
Players won’t find much here. There’s no quest within the fort, but players will run into an adventurer near the entrance. The adventurer will tell the player that the spiders there are enchanted and leaves after that. Should players decide to explore the fort, they’ll find the warlock responsible for creating the enchanted spiders and some random leveled loot, but nothing more.
14 Battle Arena In Blackreach
The Dwemer Appeared To Be Fans Of A Good Fight
Blackreach is an area that most players try to get out of as soon as possible and for good reason. Though the area is dark and beautifully lit by Dwemer technology and plants, there are a lot of enemies everywhere. However, those who are brave enough to explore will find this interesting area in it. This appears to be a battle arena as there’s a platform at the center and a spinning blade will pop up. There are stone benches next and facing the platform.
It appears to be a battle arena, which is a little surprising coming from the Dwemer. They often held themselves in high regard and as more refined than all other races (even the haughty High Elves), but it seems even they loved to watch a good fight and enjoyed a bit of blood sport.
13 Lost Prospect Mine's Hidden Nook
A Miner's Tragic Resting Place
At first glance, Lost Prospect Mine seems like any other mine in Skyrim. However, this mine is empty of ore veins, or at least that’s what it seems like. A miner’s journal can be found and reveals the events of what happened. Two friends were hoping to score big from buying this mine, but to no avail. The journal's author went to Riften to get some supplies while his friend Bern stayed behind in hopes of finding gold. When the author got back, Bern was missing, and the former assumed the latter abandoned him.
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If players go behind the waterfall in the mine, they will find that there is gold veins here. Sadly, it seems like Bern found it, but was crushed to death by the rocks. A sad ending for him, but at least players will have three gold ore veins they can mine.
12 Hidden Treasure Island
Two People Find Buried Treasure And Won't Let Anyone Take It From Them
Should players find themselves walking along Lake Geir to the east of Ivarstead, there’s a chance of finding a small camping area with a note. The note doesn’t reveal much other than the author buried some treasure at the edge of the lake. If players look at the small island not too far away from the camp, two people can be found there.
They’ll warn the player if they get too close and will attack if their warnings go unheeded. After defeating them, a treasure chest can be found with random leveled loot. It still remains a mystery as to why this treasure was buried there and by whom.
11 The Four High Peaks Of Solstheim
Four High Points That Have Great Views
There’s a lot to explore on the island of Solstheim, but there are four locations that aren’t marked until players are very close to them and do a lot of climbing. These locations are known as the Four High Peaks of Solstheim: Mortrag Peak, Hvitkald Peak, Frykte Peak, and Mount Moesring. Getting to these locations is going to take a little time and patience as there is no direct road to them. Players will have to do a lot of jumping and running around the mountains to get to these peaks.
Mortrag Peak and Frykte Peak are next to each other, making it a little easy to find as they’re both in the northern area of Solstheim. Frykte Peak is on the west side while Mount Moesring is at the center, making it a little difficult to spot. There isn’t any achievement or quests for these locations, but players will get a pretty sweet view of Solstheim at each location.