- For other uses, see Dragon Claws.
Dragon Claws are special miscellaneous items found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that are primarily used to open ancient Nordic puzzle doors.
Characteristics
Dragon Claw Door.
Each claw is unique. Each one is made of precious gems and/or materials and can be very valuable. Most dragon claws are found in ancient Nordic dungeons, and will open at least one puzzle door in that dungeon. The puzzle door combination can be found on the underside of its corresponding claw. Zooming in on the claw in the Miscellaneous category of the Items menu will make the solution easier to see.
Hall of Stories
These are large, open hallways with a puzzle door at the end. The walls of these hallways tell many stories, as the name suggests. One image seems to depict many Draugr bowing towards an almighty Dragon Priest.
Puzzle door locations
Claws
Coral Dragon Claw
The Coral Dragon Claw.
The Coral Dragon Claw can be obtained in two ways:
- The first is from Birna, the shop keeper in Winterhold. She claims she purchased it, as she was led to believe that it would lead her to great treasure, but it never panned out for her. She offers it for 50
in exchange for telling her if it ever "works" in the future. (However, if it is returned after being used, there is no option for telling her.) Along with the sale, she reveals a possible location — the Yngol Barrow, located northeast of Windhelm. Birna will not say where Yngol Barrow is. - If not obtained from Birna, the Coral Dragon Claw can be found at Yngol Barrow, on a pedestal.
Diamond Dragon Claw
The Diamond Dragon Claw.
The Diamond Dragon Claw can be found during the "The World-Eater's Eyrie" quest on a leveled Draugr in Skuldafn. Since it is impossible to go back to Skuldafn after completing the main quest line, the item will become redundant and should be sold for coin or kept as decoration.
Ebony Dragon Claw
The Ebony Dragon Claw.
The Ebony Dragon Claw is found at Korvanjund during the quest "The Jagged Crown." Depending on which side of the war is supported, it is found in the Hall Of Stories near the dead bodies of either two Imperial Soldiers or two Stormcloaks.
Note: Because of its jet-black coloration, it may be difficult to see at first glance.
Emerald Dragon Claw
The Emerald Dragon Claw.
The Emerald Dragon Claw opens the first Door Puzzle in Reachwater Rock. It is found near the entrance, on a pedestal next to an Adventurer's dead body.
It is used in conjunction with the Ivory Dragon Claw in the quest "Forbidden Legend" to obtain The Gauldur Amulet.
They can both become bugged, where even after completing the Gauldur quest they can't be removed from the inventory. It is also possible for the claws to randomly disappear if stored in a home.
Glass Dragon Claw
The Glass Dragon Claw.
The Glass Dragon Claw is found in Forelhost during the "Siege on the Dragon Cult" quest. It is in the Forelhost Refectory resting on a pedestal in the top room that resembles a library directly before the spear-gate. While taking the Glass Dragon Claw can cause the spear-gate to close, setting any other object on the pedestal can counteract the triggering of this trap.
Golden Claw
The Golden Dragon Claw.
The Golden Dragon Claw is usually the first claw to be encountered, as it is part of "The Golden Claw" side quest, which is obtained in Riverwood from Lucan Valerius. If not started by Lucan Valerius, it is started upon entering Bleak Falls Barrow. The claw is obtained from Arvel the Swift during the "Bleak Falls Barrow" quest. A group of bandits led by a Dunmer named Arvel the Swift came to Bleak Falls Barrow with the stolen Golden Dragon Claw hoping to find treasure behind the Nordic puzzle door. The robbery went awry, and Arvel was trapped in a Frostbite Spider's web, leaving the rest of the group waiting at the entrance of the dungeon.
Retrieving the Golden Dragon Claw, using it to reach the word wall then returning it to Lucan completes the quest. Thereafter, the Golden Claw is displayed on the counter of the Riverwood Trader, which, for those inclined, makes it easy to steal. Additionally, if Camilla Valerius is married by the individual wanting the claw, it can be taken, instead of stolen. Alternatively, finishing the side quest and giving Lucan Valerius back the claw allows one to kill him and the claw may then be stolen.
Iron Dragon Claw
The Iron Dragon Claw.
The Iron Dragon Claw is found and used during the quest "Evil in Waiting" inside an ancient Nordic tomb of Valthume. It is sitting atop a pedestal in the last room – Valthume Catacombs. Removing the claw activates a trap. Four statues around you will begin to breathe fire for a few seconds.
Ivory Dragon Claw
The Ivory Dragon Claw.
The Ivory Dragon Claw is found in Folgunthur next to Daynas Valen along with his notes and a journal. It is used in Folgunthur and again in Reachwater Rock. Until the "Forbidden Legend" quest has been completed, it is considered a quest item and cannot be discarded.
Note: This is the only claw that is used in more than one area. It is also the only claw that uses keyholes not located on Door Puzzles.
Ruby Dragon Claw
The Ruby Dragon Claw.
The Ruby Dragon Claw is found and used during the quest "Tending the Flames" inside Dead Men's Respite. It is sitting atop a pedestal in the first room. Removing the claw awakens a small number of Draugr.
The Ruby Dragon Claw will remain marked as a quest item and cannot be removed from inventory until after Viarmo receives King Olaf's Verse in the quest Tending the Flames.
Sapphire Dragon Claw
The Sapphire Dragon Claw.
The Sapphire Dragon Claw is obtained from Wilhelm, the Inn keeper of the Vilemyr Inn, in Ivarstead, as a reward for bringing him Wyndelius's Journal, the journal of the man who was "haunting" the Shroud Hearth Barrow. The claw is used to open the Puzzle door inside the Barrow to gain access to a Word Wall.
Amethyst Dragon Claw
The Amethyst Claw is found in Vahlok's Tomb. The claw is split in two, with the dungeon's design suggesting it was made this way. The claw's two halves are found individually, and each unlocks a unique half-claw lock that opens the path to the dungeon's deepest areas.
Trivia
- Not all claws are immune to merchant inventory or container resets. The Coral Dragon Claw (if obtained from Birna) is vulnerable to being deleted since it is never marked as either a quest or permanent item. The Emerald, Iron, and Ruby claws are capable of losing their permanent item status and may also disappear if sold or improperly stored.
- Some of the claws are labeled as "(Material) Dragon Claw," while others are simply called "(Material) Claw." It is unclear if this is intentional. Note: for this article all are labeled "(Material) Dragon Claw."
- The Golden Dragon Claw has two separate item IDs. The first one (000999E7) is the one recovered from Arvel, and the second (00039647) is if the claw if stolen back from the shop.
- Although there is a dragon claw for most of the materials in Skyrim, there is no Silver Dragon Claw.
- Another puzzle door is located in Snow Veil Sanctum, but the associated claw is never mentioned: the door is unlocked by Mercer Frey with the Skeleton Key during the quest "Speaking With Silence," and he assumes the associated claw was in the possession of Karliah, or was disposed of by her in some way.
- This could be the missing Silver Dragon Claw.
- The Emerald Dragon Claw is noticeably smaller than all other Dragon Claws.
- If the Dragonborn does not have the correct claw, a message saying "You need the <color> Claw/<color> Dragon Claw to activate the keyhole." will appear on the top left of the screen.
- None of the puzzle doors reset once they are solved, regardless whether or not their corresponding dungeons reset.
- They have no other purpose than to open the puzzle doors and afterwards can be sold for a lot of money. They can also be used for decoration.
- There is a destroyed puzzle door in the Temple of Miraak.
- There are no materials for coral in Skyrim, but a dragon claw of this material exists.
- A copper dragon claw exists in The Elder Scrolls Online.