Every Elder Scrolls title has plenty of locations to explore. Cities, forests, and dungeons are just a few things players can expect from Bethesda’s massive open worlds. Skyrim has some of the best locations in The Elder Scrolls franchise, particularly when it comes to dungeons.
Learning from the repetitive nature of Oblivion’s dungeons, Skyrim opted to create fewer dungeons with much more personality. It was a huge success, resulting in some of the most memorable locations in the franchise. That said, not every dungeon was a smash hit. Some dungeons had strange mechanics tied to them or were overturned. Here are the five best and worst dungeons in Skyrim.
10 Best: Pinewatch
Pinewatch is the best example of how a rather mundane location in any other video game is a notable dungeon in Skyrim. This remote house appears to be nothing special until players notice a special underground passage when they step inside.
Heading underground reveals not just an excavated Ancient Nord tomb, but it also reveals a group of bandits have claimed this place as their home. Various notes and dialogue barks reveal that the bandits ambush Khajiit caravans and put their loot into this dungeon. There isn’t any dungeon quite like this one.
9 Worst: Yngol Barrow
The Yngol Barrow is one of Skyrim’s strangest dungeons. It is darker than normal and contains strange glowing orbs that bounce around the dungeon. Exploring this location for the first time is a real surprise that is highly memorable. The second, third, and tenth time fare much worse, however, due to how dark the dungeon is and how the claw needed to open the rest of the dungeon is sold by a merchant in Winterhold instead of residing inside of the dungeon. Its novelty wears off quickly once a player has fully explored this dungeon, something that can’t be said for many of Skyrim’s best locations.
8 Best: Labyrinthian
One of Skyrim’s largest dungeons is Labyrinthian. It contains a large exterior that houses some interesting secrets such as a Dragon Priest mask altar and Shalidor’s Maze, but it’s when players enter the dungeon that the true scale of this place begins to click.
Tied to the College of Winterhold’s questline, this location houses the Staff of Magnus as well as a Dragon Priest mask. Players make their way through multiple areas inside that reveal the ghosts of older College students as well as some tough Draugr. The end of the dungeon is an intense fight against a Dragon Priest wielding the Staff of Magnus. It’s a fantastic dungeon with great loot and has some of the game’s strongest Shouts inside.
7 Worst: Forelhost
Forelhost is strange in that it becomes exponentially harder to clear the higher level the player is. Clearing this dungeon is tough on its own due to it spawning both Draugr and Dragon Cultists, which are all guarding the Dragon Priest Rahgot.
When players reach a higher level, however, all of the Draugr and Dragon Cultists level up to deal dramatically more damage and begin to use shouts, leaving the player frequently staggered or disarmed. Rahgot is a pushover in comparison to the Deathlords and Cultists that reside inside the dungeon. The loot is unremarkable as well, leaving Forelhost as a challenging dungeon and nothing more.
6 Best: Apocrypha
Dragonborn’s inclusion of Apocrypha is one of the game’s most memorable locations. This realm of Oblivion is filled with thousands of books, mage cultists, and strange tentacle creatures. While not a dungeon itself, Apocrypha is the setting for the Black Book dungeons and some of Dragonborn’s story moments. The unique atmosphere, enemies, and incredibly strong Black Book bonuses make Apocrypha one of the best locations in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
5 Worst: Tolvald’s Cave
Tolvald’s Cave is one of Skyrim’s Falmer dungeons, which already makes it less than desirable. The cave’s overall size and difficult enemies make it rather tough for low-level characters while it does nothing for high level builds.
This dungeon’s main issue is how it is the final locations players will travel to before completing the “No Stone Unturned” quest if done in order. Given how much effort goes into finding every Stone of Barenziah, having this dungeon house the final crown is a huge disappointment. It contains a large amount of Glowing Mushrooms and Chaurus Eggs, but that doesn’t change the fact that this cave is a boring reward for a long treasure hunt.
4 Best: Sightless Pit
Found south of Winterhold is a strange pit that isn’t tied to any quest. Players that travel down this location will end up in the Sightless Pit, a hidden dungeon filled with Falmer and Frostbite Spiders. The verticality present in this dungeon and the open spaces that reside towards the end make it one of Skyrim’s most unique dungeons. If it had a proper quest tied to it, this would have made the top of the list.
3 Worst: Shalidor’s Maze
Part of Labyrinthian lies Shalidor’s Maze. This isn’t a traditional maze for players to get lost in. Rather, Shalidor’s Maze is a proper labyrinth that has only one way forward.
This zone simply tests if the player has a spell in each school of magic before fighting a Dremora. The loot is uninteresting and the location takes little time to complete. Most players are likely to find it disappointing in terms of unique puzzles.
2 Best: Frostflow Lighthouse
Frostflow Lighthouse is similar to Pinewatch in that it appears ordinary on the outside until players set foot inside. An apparent struggle seems to have taken place inside the lighthouse, which leads players to deduce precisely what happened. Through various notes and environmental clues, players find out that a Chaurus was locked underground. The Falmer built a den for the Chaurus and killed the family. It became a spawning ground for Chauruses rather quickly, which explains why the underground dungeon has so many eggs.
Defeating the Charurus Reaper reveals Habd’s remains, one of the Redguards that lived in the lighthouse. Burning his remains at the top of the lighthouse grants a unique perk called Sailor’s Respite and completes this miscellaneous quest. Frostflow Lighthouse has some of the best environmental storytelling out of any Skyrim dungeon. The creepy atmosphere and forcing the player to deduce how the family died leads to an experience that no other dungeon can compare to.
1 Worst: Darkfall Cave
Anyone that has finished the Dawnguard DLC for Skyrim knows how painful Darkfall Cave is. The dungeon itself is by no means difficult, filled by dozens of Frostbite Spiders and Falmer, but the sheer length of this dungeon is enough to put the most enthusiastic players to sleep. It can take up to an hour to get through, which then leads to not one new dungeon but three! Completing Dark fall Cave, Darkfall Passage, Darkfall Grotto, and the Forgotten Vale is nothing short of a slog. It doesn’t help that the Darkfall dungeons are filled with boring enemies and mundane visuals, easily making this series of dungeons the worst in all of Skyrim.
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