The secrets of Skyrim
We come to the sixth and last part of the Forwargaming.com guide dedicated to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. On this occasion we will dedicate ourselves to making you discover some secrets of the game, talking about some exceptional items and giving you some expert advice to have the best equipment. As promised, in the coming weeks we will enrich the guide with an extra chapter in which we will answer the questions you asked us in the six canonical chapters and then with another dedicated to mods. So stay tuned with us for news.
Gauldur's Amulet
Gauldur's Amulet is probably the best amulet in the game to be found, but it's not easy to obtain and is tied to a long quest: Forbidden Legend. There are several ways to get the mission. The simplest is to read the book of the Lost Legends of Skyrim. You will find one in Farengar's bookstore in Dragonsreach, in the city of Whiterun. Another way is to follow the Winterhold Academy's Under Saarthal mission and read the note on the boss's corpse. Finally, the quickest way to get started with panache, head straight to Folgunthur (located southeast of Solitude) and search the corpse of Daynas Valen.
After reading the note, you will have to find the fragments of the amulet that are in three dungeons (they will be marked on the map, so you will not struggle to find them). You will find the Folgunthur fragment by continuing to explore the dungeon with Daynas' corpse inside and defeating the boss Mirkul Gauldurson, while for the other two you will have to travel a bit.
The only problem that can arise is with the Saarthal dungeon, accessible only via the Academy of Winterhold quest we were talking about above (Under Saarthal). In case you find it closed, you know what to do, that is to go and start the quest line of the wizards (find all the details on how to start it in chapter V of this guide).
When you have all the fragments, you will need to reforge the amulet. To do this, go to Reachwater Rock and place the fragments on the pedestals, after having opened the long stone corridor with the claws. Then you will have to face the three brothers you defeated in a row in the three dungeons where you found the fragments and, finally, you can get your hands on the precious object that fortifies health, magicka and stamina at the same time.
The Masks of the Dragon Priests
Scattered around Skyrim are the graves of eight dragon priests for as many masks. Approaching you the priests will resurrect in the form of Lich. By putting them back in their place, or by killing them, you can take powerful masks from their corpses. There are eight of them, plus a ninth that you get when you have all the others. These are objects with often exceptional powers, which are worth looking for. Let's see them:
Mask name: Volsung
Territory: Haafingar
Place: Volskygge
Powers: +20 carry weight, improve prices by 20%, watery breath
Additional information: none
Mask name: Morokei
Territory: Hjaalmarch
Location: Labyrinthian
Powers: + 100% magicka regeneration
Other Information: Intertwined with the Winterhold Academy mission, The Staff of Magnus.
Mask name: Vokun
Territory: The Pale
Luogo: High Gate Ruins
Powers: Conjuration, Illusion and Alteration + 20%
Other information: Intertwined with the A Scroll for Anska quest.
Mask name: Krosis
Territory: The Pale
Place: Shearpoint
Powers: Burglary, Archery and Alchemy + 20%
Additional information: none.
Mask name: Otar
Territory: The Reach
Place: Ragnvald
Powers: Resistance to fire, cold and electricity + 30%.
Other information: Intertwined with Otar's Mad Guardians quest.
Mask name: Revenge
Territory: The Reach
Place: Valthume
Powers: +40 heavy armor
Other information: Intertwined with the Evil in Waiting quest.
Mask name: Rahgot
Territory: The Rift
Place: Forelhost
Powers: Stamina +70
Other information: Intertwined with the Siege on the Dragon Cult quest.
Mask name: Nahrin
Territory: Other Kingdom
Luogo: Debt
Powers: Magicka +50, Destruction and Recovery + 20%
Other information: Intertwined with the main quest The World-Eater's Eyrie.
Mask name: Konahrik
Territory: Hjaalmarch
Location: Labyrinthian
Powers: When the Dragonborn is at low health, the mask can knock enemies back, heal the hero and all his allies, and cast a fire shield. There is also the rarer possibility that a ghostly dragon priest will be summoned to the Hero's aid.
Other Information: The ninth mask is obtained by taking the other eight masks to Labyrinthian, in the small circular building near the entrance to Shalidor's Maze. Enter it and go to the dragon-headed altar. Read the note and take the wooden mask. Wear it while in the room with the altar (it will have no effect if you leave). You will find yourself in another time, in the same room. Place the eight masks on the eight busts and take the last mask from the dragon's mouth.
The breastplate of the dragon
There is no shortage of armor in Skyrim, but there is one that is the wet dream of all self-respecting adventurers: the dragon armor, probably the best in the game. It is an item that can only be forged and has very high prerequisites. Let's see them.
In the meantime, you need to be able to bring the Blacksmith skill to 100 (objects that make the skill grow artificially are not worth it) and spend a point on the Dragon Armor upgrade (after having reached it by purchasing the other upgrades of the constellation, of course). Said it seems simple, but there is a long way to go. Let's see the ways to improve Forging:
- The first step can be taken in the character creation phase, choosing a race that increases the skill by five points. The races that affect Smithing, bringing it to base 20, are three: North, Orcs and Redguard. Unfortunately there is no breed that increases 10 points as with the other skills, so you have to be satisfied.
- The second step is to understand how the forge works and forge objects whenever the opportunity arises. Basically, to forge you need to have ingots of processed material and leather. Advanced materials will require rarer materials. How to find the materials? Hides and ingots can be purchased, but if you don't want to pass out, go to the mines with a pickaxe in your hand and extract some rocks of spurious matter, which will then be transformed into ingot in the crucible. With the raw materials in hand, get busy and forge the forge. Focus mainly on gold and silver bars, which allow you to forge jewelry and do not require many additional ingredients (apart from if you don't want to create jeweled trinkets). In short, forged, forged and forged.
- The third feasible step is to activate either the lover's stone, located north-east of Markarth, so as to speed up the growth of all skills, including Blacksmithing, by 15%, or the warrior's stone, which is found close to Riverwood and speeds up skill growth by 20%.
- Finally, don't forget the trainers. Especially for the first levels they are the fastest way to level up in skills, but from level 50 upwards they become quite expensive and require a large investment in terms of money. There are three Blacksmith trainers (in order of skill): Gharza of Makarth, Balimund of Riften and Eorlund of Whiterun. Above all, the latter should be particularly convenient for you, because he manages the celestial forge and is connected to the Companions, so you will meet him very soon.
Of course we haven't forgotten the skill books. Around Skyrim you will find five dedicated to Forging, but if you want to grow quickly, this is certainly not the fastest way to do it. When you reach level 100, you will have to worry about finding the right ingredients. Let's see the recipes of all the pieces of the armor:
Dragonplate Armor (heavy) - 3 Skin Stripes, 3 Dragon Scales, 2 Dragon Bones
Dragonplate Boots (heavy) - 2 Skin Stripes, 3 Dragon Scales, 1 Dragon Bones
Dragonplate Gauntlets (heavy) - 2 Skin Stripes, 2 Dragon Scales, 1 Dragon Bones
Dragonplate Helm (heavy) - 2 Skin Stripes, 2 Dragon Scales, 1 Dragon Bones
Dragonplate Shield (heavy) - 1 Skin Stripes, 3 Dragon Scales, 1 Dragon Bones
Dragonscale Armor (light) - 3 Leather Strips, 1 Leather, 4 Dragon Scales, 1 Iron Ingot
Dragonscale Boots (light) - 2 Leather Strips, 1 Leather, 2 Dragon Scales, 1 Iron Ingot
Dragonscale Gauntlets (light) - 2 Leather Strips, 1 Leather, 2 Dragon Scales, 1 Iron Ingot
Dragonscale Helmet (light) - 1 Leather Strips, 1 Leather, 2 Dragon Scales, 1 Iron Ingot
Dragonscale Shield (light) - 2 Skin Stripes, 4 Dragon Scales, 2 Iron Ingot
In general, these are easy to find ingredients. Don't let the Dragon Bones and Scales scare you, because by the time you're level 100 in Smithing, chances are you've already killed several winged lizards. The important thing is not to sell the raw materials. The advice is to keep them in a chest or other safe place.
Upgrade the Dragon Armor
Dragon armor, heavy or light, can be further enhanced by enchanting it. Growing the enchant skill requires a lot of practice and spending money on trainers. To get the maximum, which is two enchantments on the same item, you need to increase Enchant to 100 and purchase the upgrade to add an extra effect. Obviously, before enchanting, try to find the effects you are interested in and have a full supreme soul gem so you can get the most out of it.
Remember, too, that you can upgrade the dragon armor on the worktable to Legendary level.
The best weapons
Unfortunately, some unique weapons are leveled, meaning they adapt to the player's level as they find them. For this reason it is not easy to rank the most powerful tools of death in the game without running into problems related to how you conducted the adventure. Let's say that, in principle, if you want to have powerful weapons it is better to build them yourself by combining Blacksmithing with Enchanting (a bit as explained for the realization of the Dragon Armor). In this way you are on the safe side and are not subject to the fluctuations of fate. The best weapons you can forge are probably the Daedric ones, which require level 90 forging.
That's all? No, you have to take a couple of factors into consideration when evaluating a firearm. The first is your skill in using the type of weapon found. A two-handed ax in the hand of a one-handed character will not have the same effect as in the hand of a two-handed warrior who can double the damage and add different effects to hits. Skyrim never gives the absolute damage value of the weapon, but he always adds the various modifiers due to the character. So don't be surprised if, for example, a weapon with Wuutrhand in the hand of a wizard causes 30 damage, while in the hand of an experienced warrior it reaches over 90.
The second factor to take into consideration, linked to the previous one, are enchantments. A 25 sword with a frost damage of 20 does more damage than a 25 sword without any enchantments ... at least while the charge lasts.
There is also a third issue that should not be underestimated, namely the possibility of improving weapons and armor on the workbench or on the grinding wheel. An epic weapon is better than a base, and between enchantments and improvements, you don't always end up choosing weapons made from the best materials.
How to reload magical weapons without having to hold dozens of soul gems
Tired of hunting for soul gems to reload to keep your magical weapon alight? What is right for you is the Star of Azura, a very precious object capable of replacing all the stash of gems you have in your inventory by itself.
To get it you have to carry out the Azura daedric quest "The Black Star" which is obtained by visiting the Azura sanctuary, near Winterhold (we talked about it in chapter V of the guide).
Consideration on unique objects
In general we can give you only one piece of advice to get the best unique items: carry out as many quests as possible, especially the Daedric ones (see chapter V of the guide). In reality, you can also find something by wandering around the dungeons, but the best weapons and armor are linked to the various quests. More than anything else, explore to launch missions such as the one of the dragon priests' masks or those of the factions.
