Dragon Lairs

Shearpoint in The Pale.

Dragon Lairs are locations found throughout Skyrim. They typically are home to a leveled dragon, but also include an unlocked chest with leveled loot, and a Word Wall.

Locations

• Ancient's Ascent
• Autumnwatch Tower
• Bonestrewn Crest
• Dragontooth Crater
• Eldersblood Peak
• Lost Tongue Overlook
• Mount Anthor
• Northwind Summit
• Saering's Watch ^DR
• Shearpoint
• Skyborn Altar

Quests

An Elder Dragon at Ancient's Ascent.

Certain radiant quests involve traveling to a random lair and slaying the resident dragon:

• The Companions: Dragon Seekers
• The Blades: Dragon Hunting
• Bounty Quest: Kill the Dragon
• Arngeir: Find the Word of Power

Trivia

• Prior to receiving the quest "Dragon Rising," it is possible to learn words of power at each lair without fighting a dragon. Instead, each lair is defended by another leveled enemy, such as a Wispmother.
• In addition to a dragon, the lair Shearpoint is also guarded by the Dragon Priest, Krosis, although if discovered before completing Dragon Rising, only the Priest will have to be fought.
• Each lair typically resets after 10 in-game days, though this usually only applies to each location's loot chest. Respawning the respective dragons is generally thought to take 30 in-game days.
• Another scripted appearance of a dragon exists outside the unmarked exit/entrance to Bleak Falls Barrow. The dragon sits atop a stone outcropping, and the area beneath it features mammoth bones and several ore veins. It is not flagged as a true dragon lair however, thus no radiant quests occur there.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Dragon Lairs. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  PC   360   PS3   If a dragon is killed and later respawns, it may not be possible to absorb the soul of the respawned dragon. Reloading a save works on some of the lairs, but not all.