When The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC dropped in December 2012, it brought players to a place equal parts familiar and alien: Solstheim, a volcanic island sitting in the Sea of Ghosts between Skyrim and Morrowind. Over a decade later, this ash-swept landmass remains one of the most compelling endgame experiences in the franchise, a place where ancient Dunmer settlements meet Nordic ruins, where Hermaeus Mora’s tentacles writhe in pocket dimensions, and where the first Dragonborn waits to test your Thu’um.
Whether you’re returning to Skyrim on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or the Nintendo Switch port, Solstheim skyrim content offers dozens of hours of quests, unique loot, and environmental storytelling. This guide covers everything from your first boat ride to Raven Rock through the final confrontation with Miraak, including side quests, hidden treasures, new enemy types, and the bizarre powers tucked inside Black Books. Grab your ash-resistant gear and let’s dig in.
What Is Solstheim and How Do You Get There?
Accessing Solstheim Through the Dragonborn DLC
Solstheim is exclusively available through the Dragonborn DLC. If you’re running the Special Edition or Anniversary Edition on any platform, you already have it, both bundles include all three major DLCs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn). If you’re somehow still on the original 2011 release, you’ll need to purchase Dragonborn separately, though at this point upgrading to Special Edition is the smarter call for stability and mod support.
Once the DLC is installed, cultists will ambush you in any major city after you’ve completed “The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller” (the main quest where you recover the horn from Ustengrav). They’ll attack on sight, and looting their bodies reveals a note ordering your assassination. This triggers the quest “Dragonborn,” pointing you toward the docks in Windhelm.
Taking the Northern Maiden to Raven Rock
Head to Windhelm’s docks, down the stone ramp east of the city’s main entrance. You’ll find Gjalund Salt-Sage aboard the Northern Maiden. Normally he refuses passage, claiming bad dreams and a spooked crew. Persuade, bribe, or intimidate him (Speech check of 25 is trivial by this point), and he’ll agree to sail.
The voyage is a brief loading screen. You’ll arrive at Raven Rock, Solstheim’s largest settlement, on the island’s southwestern coast. From this point forward, you can fast-travel back to Skyrim or return to Raven Rock’s dock and ask Gjalund for a lift anytime, no quest requirements, no fees. Solstheim becomes a permanent part of your map.
Exploring Raven Rock: Solstheim’s Main Settlement
Key NPCs and Questlines in Raven Rock
Raven Rock is a Dunmer mining town carved into the ash, governed by Councilor Lleril Morvayn from Morvayn Manor. The settlement has seen better days, House Redoran maintains a fragile grip on order while the local mine, Raven Rock Mine, teeters on collapse.
Talk to Adril Arano, Lleril’s steward, to pick up the “Served Cold” quest, a political intrigue storyline involving assassination plots and rival Dunmer houses. Completing it nets you Morvayn Manor’s player quarters and a decent gold reward. Glover Mallory, the blacksmith, has ties to the Thieves Guild (he’s Delvin’s brother) and offers the quest “Paid in Full,” which unlocks his inventory as a fence and grants you his unique Blackguard armor set, light armor with solid enchantments.
Captain Veleth of the Redoran Guard hands out repeatable bounty quests for ash spawn and can initiate “March of the Dead,” a quest to clear Fort Frostmoth of the undead. Don’t sleep on this one, Fort Frostmoth has a word wall for the Cyclone shout.
Essential Services and Merchants
Raven Rock offers all the essentials:
- Glover Mallory (blacksmith): Sells and buys weapons, armor, and smithing supplies. Becomes a fence after “Paid in Full.”
- Fethis Alor (general goods): Standard provisions, potions, food, lockpicks, soul gems.
- Milore Ienth (apothecary): Alchemy ingredients, including several unique to Solstheim like ash creep cluster and scathecraw.
- Crescius Caerellius (mine owner): Involved in the quest “The Final Descent,” which opens up a Stalhrim deposit and the unique Bloodskal Blade.
Raven Rock lacks an enchanting table, but you can access one later at Tel Mithryn (Neloth’s tower). There’s a smelter near the blacksmith and a forge inside Glover’s shop. Player housing is available through “Served Cold” or by purchasing Severin Manor after completing it.
The Main Dragonborn Questline: Facing Miraak
Temple of Miraak and the First Encounter
Follow the main Dragonborn quest north from Raven Rock toward the Earth Stone, where you’ll find the townsfolk in a trance, building a shrine. Clear the nearby cultists and interact with the stone to trigger a vision. You’ll see Miraak, the first Dragonborn, who’s been chilling in Hermaeus Mora’s realm of Apocrypha since the Merethic Era. He’s got a bone to pick with Nirn, tentacles to spare, and a serious case of megalomania.
Head to the Temple of Miraak in the island’s center. The dungeon is a multi-level Nordic ruin packed with draugr and cultists. At the bottom, you’ll read the Black Book: Waking Dreams and get sucked into Apocrypha for the first time. Miraak confronts you in Mora’s library, steals a dragon soul right out from under you (rude), and sends you packing. This sets the tone: every dragon you kill on Solstheim has a chance of Miraak yoinking the soul before you can absorb it. It’s infuriating but narratively effective.
Unlocking Black Books and Apocrypha
Black Books are Lovecraftian quest items scattered across Solstheim, each one a portal to a pocket of Apocrypha. There are seven total, and each one ends with a choice of unique passive abilities (similar to standing stones but stackable). The modding community on Nexus Mods has created dozens of overhauls for Black Book powers, but vanilla options are already strong.
Reading a Black Book transports you to a surreal maze of corridors, floating books, and tentacles. You’ll fight Seekers and Lurkers (more on those later), solve light environmental puzzles, and reach a final chamber where you choose a perk. You can swap your choice anytime by returning to the same book.
Key Black Books to prioritize:
- Waking Dreams (Temple of Miraak): Required for the main quest.
- Epistolary Acumen (Nchardak): Powers include extra health/magicka/stamina from potions.
- The Winds of Change (Bloodskal Barrow): Powers include resist damage, fortify armor, or reflect melee damage.
Most guides recommend grabbing The Sallow Regent from White Ridge Barrow early for the Secret of Arcana perk, zero spell cost for 30 seconds, which melts bosses if you’re running a mage build.
The Final Battle at the Summit of Apocrypha
Once you’ve collected enough knowledge (and dragon souls Miraak hasn’t stolen), you’ll be directed to read Waking Dreams a second time. This takes you to the Summit of Apocrypha, a multi-stage gauntlet culminating in a direct fight with Miraak himself.
Miraak is one of Skyrim’s toughest scripted encounters. He’s immune to most disabling effects, summons a spectral dragon (Sahrotaar), and uses all three words of Dragon Aspect and Cyclone shouts. The fight has phases: damage him until he’s low on health, then he turns ethereal and commands Sahrotaar to restore his HP by consuming the dragon’s soul. You’ll need to ride Sahrotaar after killing his dragon allies to prevent the heal.
After three cycles, Hermaeus Mora betrays Miraak (shocker), impales him with a tentacle, and you absorb all of Miraak’s stolen dragon souls at once, usually 10–15 souls depending on how many dragons you killed during the questline. You also get his mask, robes, sword, and staff, all of which are top-tier endgame gear.
Major Side Quests and Faction Storylines
The Thirsk Mead Hall and the Riekling Conflict
On Solstheim’s northern coast sits Thirsk Mead Hall, occupied by either Nords or Rieklings depending on your choices. When you arrive, you’ll find Rieklings have overrun the hall and the Nords are camped outside.
You can side with the Nords (clear the hall, complete trials to become chieftain) or join the Rieklings (kill the Nord leader). Siding with Rieklings is the weirder, more entertaining path, you get a Riekling follower who rides a boar, and Thirsk becomes a chaotic goblin frat house. Siding with Nords is more traditional and unlocks the Brawl and Retaking Thirsk quests for gold and reputation.
Both paths reward you with the ability to craft Stalhrim gear later on, so the choice is mostly flavor.
Tel Mithryn and Neloth’s Experiments
In the island’s southeast, the Telvanni wizard Neloth has grown a mushroom tower called Tel Mithryn. He’s delightfully condescending, treats you like an assistant, and offers several quests involving Dwemer research, ash spawn investigations, and a murder mystery (“Reluctant Steward”) involving his previous apprentices.
Neloth’s questline unlocks Tel Mithryn as a player home (sort of, you don’t own it, but you can use the facilities). More importantly, he’s essential for the main quest, providing research on Black Books and Miraak. His dialogue is some of Dragonborn’s best writing, sarcastic, pompous, and weirdly charming.
Complete his requests, and he’ll enchant items for you, sell high-level spells, and grant access to his staff enchanter, a unique crafting station that lets you build custom staves from heart stones and spell tomes.
Deathbrand: The Legendary Treasure Hunt
The Deathbrand quest is a multi-stage treasure hunt for a legendary pirate’s armor set scattered across Solstheim. It begins by reading a book (Deathbrand) or encountering a random encounter with a treasure hunter.
The quest sends you to four separate locations to recover pieces of the Deathbrand Armor, a light armor set with scaling enchantments that grow stronger the more pieces you wear. The final piece is guarded by the ghost of Haknir Death-Brand himself in Gyldenhul Barrow, along with his dual-wielded scimitars, Bloodscythe and Soulrender.
These swords are exceptional for dual-wield builds: Bloodscythe reduces enemy armor, Soulrender absorbs magicka and reduces magic resistance. Together, they trigger a hidden synergy that increases the magnitude of both effects. It’s one of the best weapon combos in the game if you’re running light armor melee.
Unique Locations Worth Exploring
Bloodskal Barrow and the Ancient Nord Ruins
Bloodskal Barrow is part of the quest “The Final Descent,” which you pick up in Raven Rock Mine. The barrow is a traditional Nordic tomb with a twist: the final chamber requires you to use the Bloodskal Blade, a unique two-handed sword that fires energy waves when power-attacking.
To unlock the exit, you must hit switches by firing horizontal or vertical slashes depending on the orientation of the glowing lines on the door. It’s a rare example of Skyrim incorporating your weapon into a puzzle mechanic. The barrow also contains a word wall for the Cyclone shout and a cache of Stalhrim ore, which you’ll need for crafting endgame armor.
Benkongerike and the Secret Treasure Vault
Benkongerike is a massive Dwemer-Nordic hybrid ruin on the island’s northern edge. The dungeon is huge, filled with Dwemer automatons, Rieklings, and pressure plate traps. At the end, you’ll find the Great Hall, which contains the Black Book: Untold Legends.
But the real prize is the hidden treasure room. After reading the Black Book, backtrack to a side chamber with a Dwemer gate mechanism. Activating five resonators (glowing orbs) in the correct sequence opens the vault, revealing the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate, a unique bow with a chance to absorb health, magicka, or stamina on hit. It’s RNG-dependent but devastating when all three effects proc at once.
According to detailed dungeon breakdowns on Twinfinite, this is one of the most commonly missed unique items in Dragonborn due to the obscure puzzle sequence.
The Skaal Village and Nature Worshippers
The Skaal Village sits in Solstheim’s northern forests, home to a tribe of Nords who worship the All-Maker (a nature deity). They’re reclusive, suspicious of outsiders, and possess unique crafting knowledge.
Talk to Storn Crag-Strider, the shaman, to begin a series of quests involving the island’s corrupted “Stones”, all-maker stones twisted by Miraak’s influence. Cleansing these stones (by defeating waves of enemies at each) earns you the trust of the Skaal and access to their merchant, Baldor Iron-Shaper, who sells rare materials and is one of the few sources of Stalhrim outside of specific quests.
Storn plays a key role in the main questline, eventually sacrificing himself so you can learn the final word of the Bend Will shout, required to ride dragons and confront Miraak. His death is one of Dragonborn’s few genuinely emotional beats, handled with surprising restraint.
Best Weapons, Armor, and Loot on Solstheim
Unique Dragonborn Weapons and Where to Find Them
Solstheim is a loot goblin’s paradise. Here are the standouts:
- Bloodskal Blade (Bloodskal Barrow): Two-handed sword that fires energy beams. Fun gimmick, decent damage.
- Bloodscythe & Soulrender (Gyldenhul Barrow, Deathbrand quest): Best dual-wield combo in the game for debuffing enemies.
- Champion’s Cudgel (Thirsk Mead Hall, Nordic path): Unique warhammer with 50 points of chaos damage, fire, frost, or shock at random.
- Dwarven Black Bow of Fate (Benkongerike): Best bow for proc-based builds, absorbs random attributes on hit.
- Miraak’s Sword (Summit of Apocrypha): Absorbs 15 stamina, tentacle whip on bash. Looks sick, solid damage.
For crafted gear, Stalhrim weapons and armor are Solstheim-exclusive materials with a unique property: frost enchantments are 25% stronger when applied to Stalhrim equipment. This makes Stalhrim the best base for frost-focused builds, outpacing even Daedric in niche scenarios.
Chitin and Bonemold Armor Sets
Chitin and Bonemold are Dunmer-crafted medium armors scattered across Solstheim. Chitin is light armor with a beetle-shell aesthetic: Bonemold is heavy with a tribal, skull-plated look. Both require their respective crafting perks (unlocked automatically by reading crafting books in Glover’s basement or learning from NPCs).
Stats-wise, Chitin sits between Elven and Glass, while Bonemold slots between Steel Plate and Orcish. Neither is endgame-viable for pure optimization, but they look fantastic and are perfect for mid-level playthroughs or roleplaying Dunmer characters.
A variant called Bonemold Armor of the Redoran Guard can be obtained by completing “Served Cold” and looting Captain Veleth’s barracks. It has slightly better stats than standard Bonemold.
Black Book Powers and Which Ones to Prioritize
Each Black Book grants a choice of three passive abilities. You can only have one active per book, but you can swap freely by re-reading the book. Here are the meta picks:
- Secret of Arcana (The Sallow Regent): Spells cost zero magicka for 30 seconds once per day. Broken for mages, dump 30 seconds of chain-cast Fireballs or Ice Storms.
- Companion’s Insight (The Winds of Change): Your attacks can’t damage followers. Mandatory if you’re running AoE builds or using shouts like Unrelenting Force in close quarters.
- Seeker of Sorcery (Epistolary Acumen): +10% magic damage, +10% magic resistance. Best all-around choice for caster builds.
- Black Market (The Hidden Twilight): Summon a Dremora merchant once per day. Useful for selling loot mid-dungeon or buying rare ingredients.
For melee builds, Seeker of Might (The Winds of Change) adds +10% melee damage and +10% armor rating, solid but less impactful than the mage equivalents.
Players chasing specific builds can reference detailed tier lists on Game8, which breaks down optimal Black Book combos for stealth archers, sword-and-board tanks, and hybrid builds.
New Enemies and Combat Challenges
Ash Spawn and the Red Mountain’s Influence
The Red Mountain’s eruption in 4E 5 left Solstheim coated in volcanic ash, which doesn’t just create atmosphere, it spawns Ash Spawn, shambling undead constructs made of ash, bone, and fire magic. They’re immune to fire, resist frost, and explode in a fiery burst when killed.
Ash Spawn respawn frequently at all-maker stones and random encounter points. They’re not particularly tough (comparable to draugr), but their explosion can catch you off-guard if you’re low on health. Use frost or shock magic, or just bash them down with melee. They drop heart stones, a key ingredient for staff crafting and Neloth’s quests.
Lurkers, Seekers, and Apocrypha’s Horrors
Seekers are Hermaeus Mora’s librarians, gangly, Lovecraftian horrors with four arms and a penchant for teleporting. They cast high-level destruction spells (chain lightning, firebolt) and have decent HP pools. Prioritize them in Apocrypha, as they can stunlock you with rapid-fire magic.
Lurkers are the heavy hitters, tentacled monstrosities that emerge from oily water in Apocrypha’s chambers. They hit like trucks in melee, have massive health, and regenerate quickly if left alone. Use crowd control (Paralyze, Ice Form) or kite them with archery. They’re weak to fire, so flame atronachs or fire enchantments shred them.
Both enemy types drop unique alchemy ingredients (Seeker tentacle, lurker ichor) used in high-tier potions. Plus to encountering these creatures in Solstheim skyrim dungeons, players returning to the mainland can still access key progression tools like the Steed Stone benefits for carry weight management.
Rieklings: Friend or Foe?
Rieklings are blue-skinned goblin-like creatures that ride bristlebacks (giant boars) and attack in packs. They’re everywhere on Solstheim, caves, ruins, forests, and are usually hostile. They’re weak individually (low HP, minimal armor) but swarm in groups of 5–10.
Their AI is chaotic and entertaining: Rieklings will mount bristlebacks mid-combat, throw spears, or run away screaming. If you side with them at Thirsk Mead Hall, you unlock a Riekling follower who rides a boar and provides comic relief. The follower is surprisingly tanky and doesn’t count toward your follower limit, so you can run a Riekling plus a humanoid companion for extra DPS.
Tips for Navigating and Surviving Solstheim
Recommended Level and Preparation
The Dragonborn quest triggers after level 20, but that doesn’t mean you should head to Solstheim immediately. The DLC is balanced for late-game characters, most enemies are leveled between 30–50, and Miraak himself is a level 60+ encounter.
Aim for level 30 minimum before committing to the main questline. Bring upgraded gear (at least Orcish/Elven quality or better), a healthy stock of potions (especially healing and resist magic), and a follower if you’re not running a stealth build. For players new to endgame builds, exploring core Skyrim strategies on Gogwatch’s archive can clarify viable setups.
If you’re on Special Edition or Anniversary Edition (available on PC, Xbox Series X
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S, PS5, and Switch), the game is more stable, but Solstheim is still prone to frame drops in ash storms on console. Save frequently.
Crafting Materials and Alchemy Ingredients
Solstheim introduces several new crafting materials:
- Stalhrim: Blue ice-crystal ore found in Stalhrim deposits (unlocked after “A New Source of Stalhrim” quest). Requires Ancient Nordic Pickaxe to mine. Used to craft top-tier frost-enchanted gear.
- Heart Stones: Dropped by ash spawn. Used in staff enchanting at Tel Mithryn.
- Netch Jelly: Harvested from Netch (floating jellyfish creatures). Restores stamina and is used in poisons.
- Ash Creep Cluster & Ash Hopper Jelly: Common ingredients for damage resist and invisibility potions.
- Scathecraw: Unique fungus used in ravage magicka and fortify one-handed potions.
The best alchemy loop on Solstheim is Scathecraw + Berit’s Ashes (from Thirsk) + Giant Lichen, which creates a Fortify One-Handed potion worth 1000+ gold. Stock up for a quick cash injection.
Fast Travel Points and Map Navigation
Solstheim’s map is smaller than Skyrim proper but dense with content. Key fast-travel points:
- Raven Rock: Southwestern coast, main hub.
- Tel Mithryn: Southeast mushroom tower.
- Skaal Village: Northern forest.
- Thirsk Mead Hall: Northern coast.
Unlock these by visiting them once. The island’s center is dominated by the Temple of Miraak and ash wastes, which are difficult to navigate due to low visibility during ash storms. Follow roads when possible, they connect most major locations.
If you’re struggling with inventory management on Solstheim, consider the Dremora Merchant from the Black Market power or hauling loot back to faster travel options in mainland Skyrim.
Conclusion
Solstheim remains one of the most ambitious and rewarding expansions Bethesda has ever shipped. It doesn’t just add content, it introduces new mechanics (dragon riding, staff crafting, Black Book powers), unforgettable encounters (Miraak, Neloth, the Skaal sacrifice), and enough side content to keep completionists busy for 30+ hours.
Whether you’re chasing Stalhrim gear, collecting all seven Black Books, or just soaking in the eerie beauty of Apocrypha’s endless libraries, Solstheim offers something for every build and playstyle. For additional Skyrim content and guides, check out more at Gogwatch’s Skyrim archives or explore related quests like The Fallen for dragon-centric storylines.
Now get out there, absorb some dragon souls, and show Miraak who the real Last Dragonborn is.
