Winterhold

Overview

Winterhold encompasses the frozen northern reaches of Skyrim, home to the College of Winterhold and frigid wilderness. This region features ice caves, Nordic ruins, and dangerous winter creatures. Threat levels range from None to Perilous, making it suitable for all experience levels depending on the specific location. Notable resources include ice-related crafting materials and valuable magical items.

Caves, Mines, & Passes

	Bleakcoast Cave
Occupants	Frost Trolls
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Two Handed (Battle of Sancre Tor)
Interesting Notes	South of the cave entrance is a hunters camp with Skillbook: Evasion (Rislav the Righteous). From that camp head to the water then East you should find a bandit corpse with Treasure Map VIII.

Tactical	Threat Level: Difficult

	Hob’s Fall Cave
Occupants	Warlocks / Skeletons
Special Features	Alchemy Lab; Arcane Enchanter
Important Treasure	Pantea’s Flute Skillbook: Enchanting (Enchanter’s Primer) Skillbook: Restoration (The Exodus) Unusual Gem

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous

	Sightless Pit
Occupants	Falmer / Chaurus / Frostbite Spiders / Skeever
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Pickpocket (Aevar Stone-Singer)
Interesting Notes	Outside and above the entrance is an unmarked altar with Skillbook: Conjuration (The Doors of Oblivion).

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous

	Stillborn Cave
Occupants	Falmer / Chaurus / Chaurus Hunter
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Conjuration (The Warrior’s Charge)
Ore Veins	x1 Iron (outside, a few paces NE of the first entrance)

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous

	Wayward Pass
Occupants	None
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	None

Tactical	Threat Level: None* - NPC Patrols may still roam this area as random encounters.

	Whistling Mine
Occupants	Civiians
Special Features	Cooking Pot/Spit; Smelter
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Smithing (Heavy Armor Forging)
Ore Veins	x2 Iron

Tactical	Threat Level: None

	Yngvild
Occupants	Arondil / Draugr / Yngvild Ghosts
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Alteration (Reality & Other Falsehoods) Unusual Gem

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous - Arondil is a Mage.

Dwemer Ruins

	Alftand
Occupants	Falmer / Automatons / Frostbite Spiders / Skeevers
Special Features	Alchemy Lab; Forge/Anvil; Tanning Rack; Workbench
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Lockpicking (The Locked Room)

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous

	Blackreach
Occupants	Chaurus / Automatons / Enchanted Sphere / Falmer / Falmer Servants / Frost Trolls / Frostbite Spiders / Giants / Wispmothers / Vulthuryol (Dragon)
Special Features	Fishing Supplies
Important Treasure	Blackreach: - Skillbook: Heavy Armor (2920, MidYear, v6) Sinderion’s Field Laboratory: - Attunment Sphere - Leather Boots of Hauling - Skillbook: Alchemy (De Rerum Dirennis) Debate Hall: - Skillbook: Speech (A Dance in Fire, v6) Silent Ruin - Skillbook: Block (Warrior)
Ore Veins	x14 Corundum; x6 Ebony; x34 Geode; x3 Gold; x2 Moonstone; x3 Orichalcum; x3 Quicksilver; x3 Silver

Tactical	Threat Level: Perilous - The sheer scope of Blackreach can be daunting, take it one step at a time, there are Falmer everywhere! - To summon Vulthuryol, use Unrelenting Force on the large, orange globe hanging above the Silent City. - Although it’s an underground dungeon, it’s still considered ‘outside’ for many purposes such as Summon Arvak and Storm Call, but not Call Dragon.

Forts, Nordic Towers & Watchtowers

	Driftshade Refuge
Occupants	Silver Hand / Werewolf*
Special Features	Forge/Anvil; Grindstone; Workbench
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Block (Warrior) Skillbook: Evasion (The Rear Guard) Skillbook: One Handed (2920, Morning Star, v1)

Tactical	Threat Level: Average - *Maybe don’t let the savage furry murder machine out of its cage, eh?

	Fort Fellhammer
Occupants	Bandits
Special Features	Smelter
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Heavy Armor (Orsinium and the Orcs)
Ore Veins	x10 Iron
Interesting Notes	If you leave the boss alive, you can mine for Iron ore every 10 days instead of every 30.

Tactical	Threat Level: Average

	Fort Kastav
Occupants	Warlocks / Skeletons
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Block (Warrior)

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous

	Snowpoint Beacon
Occupants	Bandits
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	None
Ore Veins	x2 Corundum (outside, E of tower on small flat area on the side of the mountain)

Tactical	Threat Level: Average

Ruins & Tombs

	Ironbind Barrow
Occupants	Draugr / Frostbite Spiders / Skeevers / Skeletons / Warlord Gathrik
Special Features	Word Wall: Become Ethereal
Important Treasure	Steel Battleaxe of Fiery Souls
Ore Veins	x1 Moonstone; x1 Silver

Tactical	Threat Level: Difficult

	Journeyman’s Nook
Occupants	Bandit
Special Features	Alchemy Lab
Important Treasure	Borvir’s Dagger Skillbook: Alchemy (Herbalist’s Guide to Skyrim) Treasure Map II

Tactical	Threat Level: Average

	Saarthal
Occupants	Draugr / Jyrik Gauldurson
Special Features	Alchemy Lab; Word Wall: Ice Form
Important Treasure	Gauldur Amulet Fragment Saarthal Amulet Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson

Tactical	Threat Level: Dangerous - Jyrik is a spellsword-style Draugr that uses elemental-style cloaks to become immune to an element (with a weakness to its opposite in the case of flame and frost). - Jyrik is effectively immune to damage until Tolfdir brings down the Draugrs shield, which takes approx. 4 seconds after he reaches the orb.

	Skytemple Ruins
Occupants	Skeletons / Draugr
Special Features	None
Important Treasure	Skillbook: Illusion (Before the Ages of Man)

Tactical	Threat Level: Difficult

	Snow Veil Sanctum
Occupants	Karliah / Draugr / Skeevers
Special Features	Word Wall: Disarm
Important Treasure	Model Ship Skillbook: Evasion (Ice and Chitin) Skillbook: Sneak (Three Thieves)

Tactical	Threat Level: Difficult

	Ysgramor’s Tomb
Occupants	Companion Ghosts / Frostbite Spiders
Special Features	Word Wall: Animal Allegiance
Important Treasure	Bag of Holding Shield of Ysgramor Skillbook: Two Handed (The Legendary Sancre Tor)
Ore Veins	x1 Gold; x1 Iron

Tactical	Threat Level: Average