Containers (Skyrim)



Container is the generic term for any object in Tamriel that is capable of having items placed "inside" it, primarily for storage. Containers are found throughout Skyrim and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The storage capacity of a container is not dependent upon its size or shape and it can store nearly an unlimited number of items. But, the items initially found inside most containers are determined by the type of container.

Chests are usually the largest storage container found and they normally contain items of higher value than other containers. Chests can vary in appearance dependent upon their location. As chests are the "best" container available, the term chest, is ofttimes used interchangeably for any storage container found within a dungeon. All chest have a generally rectangular box shape. For example, a Falmer Chest is constructed out of Chaurus chitin and has a distinct appearance but is still recognizable as a chest.

Most containers in the game are subject to reset, that is, they clear out all the contents after a certain period of time and are reset to their initial state. Most containers reset after about a week of game time, however, examining the contents of the container causes the countdown to start over. A container could be made to never reset simply by opening it once every 5-6 days or so. Any item a player has left in a container that has reset is lost.

Styles and usual contents

 * Chest - The standard
 * Barrel, Crate, Small Crate – Found everywhere and usually contains generic, sometimes usable items, such as an inkwell, shovel, folded cloth, paintbrush, or food items.
 * Coffin – Usually found in The Hall of the Dead; they often contain clothing, armor, gold, jewelry, and other misc. items
 * Counter – Usually contains jewelry or apparatuses
 * Cupboard, Sack – Often contains food or potions. Cupboards in bedrooms usually contain clothing.
 * Display Case – Not a full container per se, but can hold a few items and doesn't reset. Items are literally dropped into it and the case is closed.
 * Drawers – Usually contains various clothing and sometimes armor. can also contain useless items, such as a iron pot.
 * Strong Box – Used primary for Thieves Guild missions.
 * Urn – Various sized containers, They can be found in dungeons, Hall of the Dead, and other places where the dead reside.

Notable chests
Please list any unusual chests or chests containing rare items here.
 * In Dawnstar, to the north of Iron-Breaker Mine there is an invisible chest underneath a small rock overhang. The invisible chest contains a huge amount of leveled goods varying from armor to gold and soul gems. If you wait two days, and then open the bartering window for Ahkari, the chest will replenish. It is believed that this chest is connected to Ahkari's shop just outside of the town, as items sold to her can be retrieved from this chest and resold after waiting 48 hours.
 * In Whiterun, it is possible to glitch under the map, then proceed to walk around Whiterun, near the Skyforge you can jump through some rocks. When you jump through, you will be under Skyforge. Underneath is a chest full of valuable goods (armor, weapons, gold etc.) that will replenish every 48 hours game time.
 * Chest named "Do Not Delete" - this is a strange little chest that Dragonborn can buy from Arcadia at Arcadia's Cauldron in Whiterun for $ 200-300 gold, I do not know what do with this "Do Not Delete", maybe Delvin Mallory from Thieves Guild can buy, or maybe is just a joke from Bethesda's team, or a bug, who knows! Appeared in Arcadia's Cauldron after destruction of Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary - To Kill an Empire Mission.
 * This is the box that essentially "allows" an NPC to be a merchant. It does not contain anything, the only reason it exists is to allow the merchants to sell their items. It isn't known why it is a chest, rather than a line of code within the game's programming. It isn't actually deletable except on PC, and if you delete it on pc, most merchants will cease to function altogether, although sometimes all it does is "break" their shop menu, meaning you can open it, but it does not work. It has similar physics as the paintbrushes of Oblivion. When you drop it, it does not hit the ground, and can be stacked in the air, or used to reach high places. If multiple are obtained, you can use them as a sort of "ladder" that allows you to reach high places quickly. Some places are even able to be reached with them without going through the loading screens, although this is NOT recommended as it can make the game extremely buggy, laggy, and will often cause the game to crash completely. In some cases, fps rates have dropped by nearly 90%, due to the areas reached not having been rendered. These chests can make it possible to skip entire dungeons. For example, at Shimmermist cave, instead of going through the entire dungeon to get to the loot at the end, you can jump, drop a "Do Not Delete" box, climb the ledge, and go through the hall and fight the Centurion, skipping 95% of the dungeon.

List of non-resetting containers
There are some containers that never reset and can hold an unlimited amount of items. Concerning the Arch-Mage's Quarters:
 * All chests and containers inside purchasable houses.
 * The chest in the secret room inside Sleeping Giant Inn.
 * The chest and wardrobe inside the ruined Helgen Inn.
 * The wardrobe in Riverside Shack.
 * The end table located in the Alchemist's Shack.
 * The Apothecary's Satchel located in the cellar of Anise's Cabin.
 * The barrel between Warmaiden's and Breezehome in Whiterun.
 * The Arch-Mage's Quarters after completing the College of Winterhold questline.
 * The chest at the entrance of Sky Haven Temple.

Note: This does not suggest that the containers in the Arch-Mage's Quarters do not respawn, but merely explains that when it was tested under these parameters that they did not. Use caution when storing items anywhere outside your purchased home or confirmed non-resetting containers.
 * Here is the test that was performed: (Xbox 360)
 * All objects that were not bolted down were taken (not stolen) from the quarters including all garden ingredients.
 * All containers were also looted.
 * One item was placed in each of the containers in the room and one item was placed in each display case and the lid closed.
 * Left College of Winterhold.
 * Waited 12 days.
 * Upon return, no items had respawned. No items were missing from containers with the exception of one item from one of the display cases had been somehow removed from the container and was on the floor. One torchbug and two luna moths had appeared. Garden had not reset.
 * The garden does reset eventually on the PS3, as does the stuff on the shelves. Potions, etc.