It’s been almost a decade since the release of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but players are still having fun with it all the same. And with Halloween right around the corner, some might be looking to dive into Skyrim‘s spookier side for the next couple of weeks.
Luckily, Skyrim‘s spooky side is actually quite expansive; it may be a high fantasy game, but that doesn’t stop several quests from indulging in a horror theme too. Therefore, in honor of Halloween’s imminent arrival, let’s take a look at the scariest quests available in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
As most horror aficionados are aware, the genre has many subtypes. “The Mind of Madness” is a quest that dives into the mind of a madman, and sees the player encountering the Daedric god of madness himself, Sheogorath.
The Dragonborn, upon undertaking this quest, is transported into the mind of the crazed Pelagius Septim III, where Sheogorath tells them to treat his madness with a magical Daedric artifact, the Wabbajack. Thus, the player explores three parts of Pelagius’ mind: his paranoia, night terrors, and anger issues. Clearly, this is one of the more zany quests in Skyrim, and if paranoia and night terrors don’t fall under the realm of “spooky,” then what does?
In “Blood on the Ice,” the Dragonborn goes off in search of a serial killer prowling the streets of Windhelm. Basically, it’s the slasher film of Skyrim, and it begins with the discovery of a woman’s mutilated body dumped in the graveyard. From there, the Dragonborn can offer their services in searching for the killer, who has already struck before several times. Acting as a detective, the Dragonborn encounters more than one suspect in pursuit of the killer, and discovers their bloody hideout in the derelict house called Hjerim (later a player home if this quest is completed).
It’s even possible to pick the wrong suspect and get an innocent man arrested – before another murder is committed, clearing his name. Or, in another scenario, the Dragonborn stakes out an area, with the opportunity to stop the killer right as he’s about to strike again. Either way, the Butcher of Windhelm’s motives are just as spooky as his methods, as players discover once they ascertain his identity.
This quest’s spooky nature is really right in the title. “The House of Horrors” is the quest related to the Daedra Molag Bal, Prince of domination and enslavement of mortals. To begin the quest, the Dragonborn is asked by a Vigilant of Stendarr, Tyranus, to explore a derelict house that he suspects has Daedric activity within. He’s more right than he knows, as inside of the house, objects fly around, the house shakes, and a voice thunders through the walls – all the makings of a good haunting.
It’s not a haunting, though: it’s Molag Bal himself. At one point, he’ll either order the Dragonborn to kill Tyranus or dominate Tyranus and force him to attack, with bloody results. All in all, this quest has “spooky” written all of it, perfect for a Halloween playthrough.
“The Taste of Death” is the quest connected to the Daedric prince Namira. Followers of Namira are breaking into the Hall of the Dead within Markarth, defiling the bodies within. Upon entering the Hall of the Dead themselves, the Dragonborn hears a voice cajoling them into becoming one of the cannibals themself, belonging to a cultist of Namira, Eola. If players agree to Eola’s awful proposition, then she invites them to a feast where not only does the Dragonborn have to kill and eat a man, but other seemingly-benign NPCs from around Markarth gather in order to feast on human flesh.
The Skyrim quest “Laid to Rest” dives into the world of the undead — specifically, ghosts and vampires. The ghost of a little girl, Helgi, was burned alive with her mother inside her home, and promises to tell the Dragonborn more about her death and undeath if they play hide-and-seek with her after dark. If that isn’t spooky enough, playing the game reveals that a vampire named Laelette was to kill Helgi and her mother, but had a change of heart and tried to change Helgi into a vampire, though it came too late.
The discovery of Laelette, however, leads to finding a whole cabal of vampires that is preying on Morthal, having set themselves up in a nearby cave. Only killing the Master vampire of the pack will stop their reign of terror in Morthal.
Once the Dragonborn reaches level 20 and completes the quest “Dragon Rising,” they’ll be able to pick up “The Whispering Door,” and investigate claims that one of the Jarl of Whiterun’s children is troubled. Speaking to Nelkir (the Jarl’s youngest son) reveals that his suddenly dark and combative personality shift is a result of the Whispering Lady in the basement door of Dragonsreach. Speaking with the door then makes it clear that Nelkir’s Whispering Lady is, in fact, the Daedric Prince Mephala.
If players choose to carry out Mephala’s commands, they’ll eventually gain Mephala’s Ebony Blade – although it carries with it an evil that corrupts its wielders.
In Riften, a troubled Argonian woman named From-Deepest-Fathoms wanders the docks, muttering to herself. If the Dragonborn speaks with her, she’ll plead with them to return a rune lexicon to the Dwemer ruins of Avanchnzel. Fulfilling her wish will lead the Dragonborn into the ruin, where they’ll witness ghostly visages of Fathoms and her now-dead compatriots first exploring Avanchzel, and incurring its wrath. Only returning the lexicon to the heart of the ruin will ease Fathoms’ madness and suffering.
“The Pale Lady” is a quest that begins when the Dragonborn finds out a sword has been stolen by bandits, angering a spirit within a nearby crypt called the Pale Lady – a powerful Wispmother. They’ll find the remnants of the bandits either terrified or massacred and have to fight their way through Frostmere Crypt to the room where the Pale Lady waits. From there, the Dragonborn has two options: banish the spirit and her wisps by killing them all, or laying them to rest by returning the sword to its rightful place. Either way, the quest will then be complete.
Finally, there’s the Skyrim expansion Dawnguard. Admittedly, it’s a whole chain of quests and not a single one, but the DLC is definitely a good one for Halloween. It’s all about vampires trying to take over Skyrim, and it features a trip to the terrifying Soul Cairn, a palace full of vampires drinking the blood of compliant or dying humans, and the wrath of their leader, a Vampire Lord. Plus, it adds Serana, arguably the best companion in the game simply because she has more dialogue and personality than all the rest. For players with more time on their hands, a Halloween playthough of Dawnguard could be just the ticket.
Skyrim is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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